TENNIS: Muchova edges teen Mboko to reach first Miami Open semi-final

Karolina Muchova needed all of her experience to hold off rising Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 7-5, 7-6(5) on Tuesday, securing a place in her first Miami Open semi-final in a match she admitted could have gone either way.

The 29-year-old Czech earned her fifth WTA 1000 semi-final berth after a hard-fought contest that lasted one hour and 47 minutes.

"It was very close, basically one point at the end. It can always change in tennis. I'm just very grateful I was able to win the last point," Muchova said.

The opening set was a tight affair, remaining on serve until 5-4. Muchova found herself down 0-30 but rallied to win four consecutive points and level at 5-all. She then capitalized on a shaky service game from World No. 9 Mboko to take the lead, eventually converting her third set point to win the opener.

The second set proved just as challenging, with both players holding serve to force a tiebreak. Muchova gained an early mini-break and maintained her composure to close out the match.

"She's an amazing player. Every time you play a top-10 player, you go on the court and you don't know who's gonna win, who's gonna lose," she added. "I tried to stay focused and stay aggressive."

Muchova continues her strong start to 2026, having reached at least the fourth round in all five tournaments she has played, including defeating Mboko to claim the Doha title in February.

She will face either American Coco Gauff or Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in Thursday's semi-final.

-Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters