Karolina Muchova emerges from epic semifinal with rare win over Coco Gauff

Muchova enters Saturday's final red hot, coming off a grass court title at the Bad Homburg Open, her second championship in 2026. She also won on the hard court at Doha in February while finishing runner-up on clay at Stuttgard.

It took an elite effort for Muchova to reach a fourth final this year. Gauff seemingly had her where she wanted Muchova even after dropping the first set. Gauff entered Thursday's semifinal with a 25-7 all-time record in three-set major matches. The two-time grand slam champion (2023 U.S. Open, 2025 Roland Garros) had also won a tour-high 10 matches after losing the first set, including her past two at Wimbledon, putting her in familiar territory as the incredible semifinal marched deep into the third set.

But Muchova dug deep to pull off the win, her second consecutive against Gauff after losing the first six, with arguably the highlight of the match coming when she fully extended and fell down going after a ball to go up 5-3 in the tiebreak.

With the win, Muchova, 29, is the oldest Open Era player to reach her first Wimbledon women's singles final since Nathalie Tauziat (1998). She's faced a gauntlet in making the championship, defeating three previous grand slam winners this week alone to advance, which OptaAce notes is tied for the most in the Open Era.

She defeated two-time champion Barbora Krejcikova (2021 Roland Garros, 2024 Wimbledon) in a fourth round three-setter, followed by a victory over four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka (2018, 2020 U.S. Open, 2019, 2021 Australian Open), who had beaten No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the Round of 16, during the quarters. 

Confidence should be at all-time high for Muchova, who will face either No. 9 seed Linda Noskova or No. 12 Marta Kostyuk — two more players seeking a first grand slam final appearance — in Saturday's championship match. A hot start could be key for Muchova's competition. This year, the No. 10 seed hasn't lost a match after winning the first set, and Muchova is also 11-1 in deciders, with six wins coming after dropping the first set.

Muchova is playing some of the best tennis of her career, and the recent ability to flip the script in a previously one-sided matchup with Gauff proves it. Not that long ago when the two met, the U.S. star dominated. But Muchova has changed the narrative, and she still has an ending to write.