Karolina Muchova's bid to make a third consecutive deep US Open run stays alive after the No. 11 seed came back from a set down to beat 21st-seeded Linda Noskova 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-2.
In an all-Czech battle, Muchova made a better start and opened a 5-3 lead. But then, the No. 11 suffered a collapse – failed to serve out for the first set in the ninth game – before also blowing a set point in the following game. She paid the price for her missed chances as Noskova forced a tie-break, where she won two points in a row from 5-5 to steal the opener.
After dropping the first set in a devastating way, Muchova showed great mental strength and bounced back with a break in the ninth game of the second set to go 5-3 up, before serving out for the set in the following game.
Breaking through Noskova late in the second set changed the entire dynamic of the match as the 2023 and 2024 US Open semifinalist claimed two breaks in the third set to complete her comeback win.
In the US Open round-of-16, Muchova plays against the winner of the match between Marta Kostyuk and Diane Parry.
Muchova had an uncomfortable situation in her previous US Open match
One journalist noticed that Muchova appeared a bit distracted during her second-round win over Sorana Cirstea. The 29-year-old then proceeded to share that she saw her ex-boyfriend in the stands.
"It's not tennis-related, so I don't like to talk about it. But, my ex-boyfriend sat right next to my box. He likes to appear at places where he shouldn't be, and where I am. So that scared me a little bit. I asked him whether he could leave. At first, he didn't, but then he left. It was difficult for me to focus on tennis at that moment," the 2023 French Open runner-up revealed two days ago.
