NEW YORK — Karolina Muchova is back in the US Open semifinals for the second straight year, marking her return from wrist surgery by beating No. 22 Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday.
Muchova lost to eventual champion Coco Gauff in the 2023 semifinals at Flushing Meadows and then missed nearly 10 months after suffering a wrist injury during the tournament.
The Czech player returned to action in June just before Wimbledon, and just over two months later, she is into her fourth career Grand Slam semi-final.
Muchova, who has yet to drop a set at this tournament, has won 10 of her last 11 matches at the US Open after going 7-5 in her first five main-draw appearances at the event.
He appeared to be struggling with an undisclosed physical issue in the second set and was clutching his hip between points before leaving the court with a physical therapist.
Muchova did not specify the nature of her discomfort when asked by ESPN's Pam Shriver after the match.
“I have to say it was a bit of a strange match,” Muchova said in her on-court interview. “I had a few problems, although I wouldn't like to comment on whether everything went well. But I'm happy that I got through it, went to the toilet and came back. I'm sorry if I upset anyone, but I had no other choice.”
Haddad Maia, the first Brazilian to reach the US Open quarter-finals since Maria Bueno in 1968, also appealed for a break after Muchova held serve to go 5-3 up in the second set, and was attended to by a trainer.
Muchova is the 19th unseeded woman in the Open era to reach the semi-finals in New York, and only the fifth to do so without dropping a set, joining Mima Jausovec (1976), Flavia Pennetta (2013), Peng Shuai (2014) and qualifier Emma Raducanu, who won the title in 2021.
She will face top seed Iga Swiatek or No. 6 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals on Thursday.
ESPN Stats & Information, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
