TENNIS: Muchova downs Osaka to set up Gauff semi

LONDON — Karolina Muchova defeated four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, 7-6(4), 6-4, on Tuesday to reach her first Wimbledon semifinal, where she will face American Coco Gauff.

The evenly matched rivals entered the quarterfinal with a 3-3 head-to-head record and delivered a high-quality contest on Court One despite the sweltering conditions.

Muchova, the 29-year-old Czech chasing her first Grand Slam singles title, proved more consistent throughout the match. She committed 21 unforced errors compared with Osaka's 42, while both players finished with 24 winners.

The match thrilled the crowd with its athletic rallies and shot-making, although it opened with four consecutive service breaks.

Muchova neutralized Osaka's powerful baseline game by mixing in drop shots, serve-and-volley tactics, and delicate play at the net.

She said she focused on matching Osaka's pace before changing the rhythm of the rallies.

"Once she would shorten the ball, I just tried to maybe go for the slice or go to net to change it up a little bit," Muchova said.

Muchova, who reached the French Open final in 2023, said she has grown to love playing on grass. She stayed in control of the first-set tiebreak and sealed it on her third set point with a forehand winner.

Osaka, 28, entered the match after upsetting top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round. However, she struggled to maintain that level, serving two double faults along with two aces in the ninth game of the second set before missing a drive volley to surrender her serve.

"I feel like it's hard because I played so well in my last match, then today I just feel like I didn't play well at all and I didn't have any energy," Osaka said.

"It felt like my legs were completely gone. Then I felt like I couldn't really push off anymore. It was a really weird feeling, like my legs were disconnected from the upper half of my body."

The 10th-seeded Muchova closed out the victory with an ace to book her place in the Wimbledon semifinals.

She will next face seventh seed Coco Gauff, who advanced after defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula earlier on Tuesday. Gauff has won six of their seven previous meetings, although Muchova noted that neither has beaten the other on grass.

"She is a great athlete overall," Muchova said. "One of the best in the world in our sport.

"I'm happy we have 0-0 on the grass. That's a bit better balance for me there." -Reporting by Clare Lovell, editing by Pritha Sarkar/Reuters