Karolina Muchova has been absolutely spectacular so far at the 2024 US Open, and she continued that against the always-solid Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Haddad Maia put together a really impressive US Open, even though her draw wasn’t really the toughest. She faced some good players but was able to overpower most of them without any kind of problems.
The Czech player already has a Grand Slam final on her resume and has looked impressive so far in New York. She's a supremely talented player who is arguably a Top 5 level talent when she's playing her best tennis.
There is just nothing she doesn't do well, whether it's the serve which is amazing or whether it's going forward and volleying. This week in New York has been really good for her. She's finally fully healthy and slowly starting to hit that peak.
Impressive wins this week, like the one over Naomi Osaka, only gave her more confidence, and in this quarter-final, she stepped out on the courts with a chance to book another semi-final on the major level.
The first set of this match was a very bad one for Haddad Maia. Muchova didn't even play that great, certainly not as good as she could, but she was still miles ahead of the Brazilian in many ways.
Haddad Maia becomes significantly easier to overcome when her serve is absent, and it was absent in the opening set. She also wasn't hitting the ball as cleanly as she could.
She's never been the most natural hitter, but the combination of her serve and forehand can do significant damage. However, Muchova was able to neutralize that easily and won the opening set 6-1.
The second set started better for Haddad Maia, but it didn't last that long. After winning the opening few games, the Brazilian got broken at 2-2 as Muchova continued to play super smart tennis.
She had a physical problem, which was the last thing she wanted in this match. Her career has already been severely hampered by injuries, and alarms go off any time a physio is spotted near the Czech player.
She was seemingly dealing with a stomach issue but was able to continue the match. She only needed a few more games to win it. She lost the break immediately after taking it, which wasn't ideal, but again, she continued to play.
Muchova broke once more for the 4-3 lead, but she still had some physical problems. Despite the problems, Muchova held her serve to make it 5-3. A teary Haddad Maia then requested help from the doctor, who checked her heart rate and blood pressure, after which she continued.
The match finished after two more games, as the Czech player won 6-1, 6-4 to reach back-to-back US Open semi-finals.
Karolina Muchova vs Beatriz Haddad Maia Match Stats:
| Karolina Muchova | Beatriz Haddad Maia | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Aces | 0 |
| 2 | Double Faults | 1 |
| 76% | First Serve % | 64% |
| 78% (29/37) | Points Won After First Serve % | 53% (18/34) |
| 42% (5/12) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 58% (11/19) |
| 33% (4/12) | Break Point Conversion | 33% (1/3) |
| 19 | Winners | 12 |
| 15 | Unforced Errors | 12 |
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