Exciting US Open Semifinal Showdown: Coco Gauff vs Karolina Muchova

Two American women will compete on Thursday for a spot in the U.S. Open final.

One of them is Coco Gauff, the No. 6 seed, who will face 10th-seeded Karolina Muchova from the Czech Republic in the semifinals. On the other side of the draw, Madison Keys, the 17th seed from the United States, will play against second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus, who won this year’s Australian Open.

Gauff, 19, has garnered much attention in this tournament for her impressive performance while still being a teenager. Last year, she reached the French Open final, becoming the first American teenager to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Serena Williams in 2001.

In order to make it to the final, Gauff will have to defeat Muchova, who reached the French Open final this year.

Here’s what you need to know about the Gauff-Muchova match on Thursday at 7 p.m., Eastern time.

How did they get here?

Muchova has cruised into the semifinals, only dropping one set in her first five matches. Her toughest match was in the fourth round against Wang Xinyu. She advanced to the semifinals after defeating Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

Some of Gauff’s matches have gone on longer than expected. She played three-set matches in the first round against Laura Siegemund, in the third round against Elise Mertens, and in the fourth round against Caroline Wozniacki. However, in the quarterfinals, Gauff defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-2 in just over an hour.

Gauff says she’s feeling fresh.

Gauff has spent a significant amount of time on the court in this tournament. In the singles draw alone, she has played for 9 hours and 19 minutes. She has also played four matches in the women’s doubles draw with her partner, Jessica Pegula, and one match in the mixed doubles draw with Jack Sock.

Despite the amount of court time, Gauff stated after her victory over Ostapenko that she has been working on building her endurance for the later stages of Grand Slam tournaments.

“I still feel like I’m at the beginning of the tournament,” Gauff said. “I feel really fresh, to be honest. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve been tricking myself or maybe I’ll hit a wall after this is over. But I’m really proud of how I’ve been able to get through these matches.”

Gauff beat Muchova recently.

Gauff and Muchova have faced each other only once before. That match took place in August in the final of the Western & Southern Open in Ohio, which Gauff won 6-3, 6-4.

Gauff mentioned that she plans to approach her match against Muchova differently this time because she believes Muchova was struggling physically in their previous encounter.

“I don’t think that will be the case again,” Gauff said.

Muchova didn’t reveal much about her tactics against Gauff in the semifinal, stating that she will focus on her own game. However, Muchova acknowledged Gauff’s skills and athleticism.

“She’s very athletic,” Muchova said. “She never gives up, runs for every ball, and doesn’t make many mistakes. She has all the strokes.”

Both players have reached a Grand Slam final.

Now, they both aim to win one. Muchova reached the final of the French Open this year but lost to Iga Swiatek in three sets. Similarly, Gauff experienced the same result last year at the French Open, where she also lost in the final to Swiatek.

While having experience in a Grand Slam final is important, Muchova will have to deal with a loud crowd supporting the American player in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night.

Aryna Sabalenka or Madison Keys will be next.

The winner of the Gauff-Muchova match will face the winner of the semifinal match between Sabalenka and Keys. Sabalenka is favored to win, but Keys will have the support of the American crowd in Arthur Ashe.

“Of course, they will support her more than me,” Sabalenka said about Keys. “I’ll just try to stay focused and play my best tennis.”

The women’s final is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m.