Aryna Sabalenka was a favourite to reach the 2023 Cincinnati Masters final, but she was beaten by an inspired Karolina Muchova.
After Iga Swiatek lost to Coco Gauff in the first semifinal match at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati, the Belarusian suddenly became the highest-seeded player left in the tournament. Moreover, she played an unseeded player, but it was an unseeded player who reached the Roland Garros final this year.
Muchova has always been a dangerous player, but this year, the Czech is proving her qualities even more than before. This time, she defeated the likes of Beatriz Haddad Maia and Maria Sakkari on her way to the semifinal, stage of the tournament, in which she managed to outplay Sabalenka at the French Open.
Meeting once again in the semifinals, both players knew they had to be at their best to win, and the first set was a showcase of that. Sabalenka had the break points early on, but she used only one, and that wasn't enough to win the set.
Especially after Muchova broke her serve twice and served for the set at 5-4. But then, the Czech player lost 11 of the following 12 points, facing three set points at 0-40 on her own serve at 5-6 in the opening set.
Yet, she managed to recover the deficit, winning eight of the following nine rallies. But ultimately, Sabalenka got the last laugh in the first set, winning the tie-break 7-4 and marching away with a one-set lead.
But soon, the Czech player pulled it back. She didn't face a single break point in the second set, and on the other hand, she had three chances to break. Muchova used her third break point, and after confirming it with a hold to love, she won the second set 6-3 and took the match into the decider.
Having won the third set against Sabalenka in the past, Muchova knew she needed an early break, and it was exactly what she got already in the third game. After adding one more in the seventh game, there was no coming back for Sabalenka as the Czech player won the match 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 to reach the 2023 Cincinnati Masters final, in which she will play against 19-year-old Coco Gauff.
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