
After a grueling 2-hour and 24-minute battle, revenge came cold for Karolina Muchova against Coco Gauff. And following her quarterfinal win at the Stuttgart Open, Muchová opened up about how she felt after the victory.
Muchova had lost all six of her previous matches against Coco Gauff, but she turned things around in the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to reach the semifinals.
After the match, the interviewer highlighted her 0-6 record against Coco Gauff and 0-3 against Elina Svitolina, calling it 0-9 combined, and Muchova joked, “You really put me down to the ground in this interview, and you reminded me of the best results I’ve had,” which amused fans.
Muchova after beating Coco Gauff in Stuttgart
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 17, 2026
“Today you were 0-6 against Coco. You’re 0-3 against Elina [who she faces next] Combined you’re 0-9. You just started catching up…”
Karolina: “You really put me down to the ground in this interview.”pic.twitter.com/5t5XLBz1K1
She added, “I didn’t even know I’m 0-3 yesterday, but thank you. I mean, I don’t know, I just finished this match, I didn’t think of what’s coming, I just want to enjoy this, and then I’ll look later.”
With this victory, Muchova has now reached her fourth semifinal with a 21–4 record. Her only losses this year came against Coco Gauff at the Miami Open semifinals and the Australian Open fourth round, Aryna Sabalenka at the Brisbane International semifinals, and Iga Świątek at the Indian Wells Open fourth round.
Yet, this wasn’t just about ending a losing streak. It was about how she finally solved the puzzle.
As Friday’s quarterfinal was Karolína Muchová’s first clay-court meeting with Coco Gauff, it brought a new dynamic to their rivalry, and even in victory, she showed respect for her longtime opponent.
“I think she’s an unbelievable player on clay,” Muchova told the press in her post-match interview.
“I feel her last year clay season, Roland Garros champion, just an incredible mover. So I just knew that I have to play really well to get a chance to win. I just tried to play my game, as well. I tried to slice it up, break her rhythm, and it was working today,” the 29-year-old added.
And that strategy showed right away in the opening set. Muchová got an early break for 2-1 after a Gauff double fault and kept the pressure on from there.
Moreover, after beating Gauff and then Elina Svitolina to reach the semifinals, the focus now shifts to whether she can carry that momentum into the final, with her last title coming at the Qatar Open against Elena Rybakina.
That said, do you think Muchova will ride this momentum to win the Stuttgart Open?
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