Back from injury, Muchova draws positive lessons from inspired US Open run | WTAQ News Talk

By Amy Tennery

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Karolina Muchova can take many positives from her match in New York despite her U.S. Open semi-final loss on Thursday, said the Czech, who is back to her best after spending most of the year away from the courts due to injuries.

Muchova had a career breakthrough in 2023 when she finished runner-up at Roland Garros, but suffered a wrist injury in her semi-final in New York and underwent surgery in February.

She returned to the circuit in June, arriving at Flushing Meadows with little playing time under her belt, but showed no signs of rust as she did not drop a set until her defeat to American Jessica Pegula 1-6 6-4 6-2 on Thursday.

“To get to the semi-final and feel that my game is there, that I can compete with the best, that I can win against them, it’s something that I didn’t know when it would come back to me, and I feel like I’m playing at a good level,” Muchova said.

“I’m healthy and I can play more tournaments this year. That’s actually the most important thing.”

She knocked out former champion Naomi Osaka in the second round and stunned fifth seed Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round with a superb serve-and-volley.

Pegula, however, managed to crack the code at Arthur Ashe Stadium, eroding the Czech defences and turning the tables on a disastrous first set.

“I mean, it’s just good to go through these games and get the experience and learn from it for the next game like this, what I can do better and how I can improve,” she told reporters.

“So I’m just going to try to learn.”

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Miral Fahmy)