WHAT HAPPENED: In the latest finish to date at the 2018 US Open, Karolina Muchova used her artful all-court game to shock two-time Grand Slam champion Garbiñe Muguruza in the Day 3 nightcap in Louis Armstrong Stadium. The 22-year old Czech qualifier, playing in her first Grand Slam and just her third career WTA Tour-level match, kept her more experienced opponent off-balance for much of the two-hour, 27-minute match, and ended the night a surprise 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner.
It took Muchova five games to come to grips with the occasion, playing the world No. 12 in one of the grandest stages in tennis, and Muguruza won nine of the game’s first 10 points on her way to a quick 5-0 advantage. When the Czech did find her footing, she delighted the Louis Armstrong crowd with an entertaining display of shotmaking from all over the court. Muguruza did not enjoy the show, as the Czech’s unpredictable game presented a unique second-round puzzle that she ultimately could not solve.
After finding form late in the opening set, Muchova won the first three games of set two, completing a stretch in which she won six of seven games. A down-the-line winner secured an early break for 2-0, and she took a 4-1 lead behind a combination of net approaches (21 of 37 for the match), well-timed drop shots and baseline blasts. But Muguruza responded and showed her championship pedigree by re-asserting herself and out-rallying her opponent to level the set at 4-4.
One of the points of the match came with the Spaniard serving to stay in the set. At 30-all, Muchova guided a difficult pick-up volley just over the net. When Muguruza tracked it down and floated up a lob, the Czech stretched for a high backhand volley, coolly placing it over the head of her charging opponent. That brought up set point, when Muchova targeted one sideline with a return and the other on a blistering forehand winner to force a deciding third set.
Muguruza had four break-point chances to open up a 3-0 lead in set three, but when Muchova ended the 16-point service game with an ace, her confidence continued to grow. Her inventiveness belied her inexperience, and she never wavered in the face of a late Muguruza charge. Feeling comfortable in the 14,000-seat stadium, Muchova kept her opponent on the ropes, and delivered a knockout blow on her second match point.
WHAT IT MEANS: The depth of the WTA Tour was on full display, as its No. 202-ranked player was fully deserving of her three-set victory over Muguruza. It took Muchova some time to adjust to the bright lights, but if she continues to display this type of game, she will have many more opportunities on similar stages.
“First moment for me on a big stadium,” she said in an on-court, post-match interview. “I got used to it a little, and somehow I made it.” Asked how she found the belief to defeat a player of Muguruza’s stature, she couldn’t find an answer. “I don’t even know. I was surviving.”
Next up for Muchova is another seeded opponent, Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, on Friday in Round 3.
MATCH POINT: Muchova, who played her first professional match in 2014, had earned $103,137 in her career entering the US Open. She has now more than doubled that figure in one tournament, as her run to the third round will earn her $156,000 in guaranteed prize money.
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