Muchova ends Osaka run to reach Wimbledon semis

LONDON: Karolina Muchova ended Naomi Osaka’s bid for a first Wimbledon title as the Czech 10th seed beat the four-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Muchova, a former French Open runner-up, clinched a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 victory on Court One to set up a semi-final meeting with Coco Gauff.

“It’s unbelievable, I’m suer happy with today’s win, this atmosphere,” said Muchova.

“I’d played three times on this court and it had been 0-3…. but I finally made it today and got that win.

“I was nervous, I was very nervous.”

Muchova had lost in the first round on each of her past four Wimbledon appearances, but has now bettered her previous best run at the All England Club – quarter-final defeats in 2019 and 2021.

Osaka had reached the last eight for the first time with a statement victory over world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka but could not repeat that performance, making 32 unforced errors in a disappointing display.