Muchova beats Haddad Maia to book semis berth

Unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova, in only her sixth tournament back after suffering a wrist injury at the 2023 US Open, beat Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the New York semi-final for a second consecutive year.
Muchova, who returned to action in June, needed medical treatment on multiple occasions during the second set but held on to dispatch the Brazilian 22nd seed in 85 minutes.
“A little weird match, I have to say,” Muchova said in her on-court interview after reaching her fourth career Grand Slam semi-final.
“I had little problems, I wouldn’t like to comment on it actually if it’s fine. But I’m happy I managed it, to run to the bathroom and back. Sorry if it disturbed anyone, but I had no other choice.”
Muchova made a fast start as she grabbed a 4-0 double break lead, held to love and, after Haddad Maia finally got on the board, closed out the opening set on serve.
Haddad Maia improved in the second set but Muchova, who suddenly began grabbing her hip between points, unleashed a backhand winner to break for a 3-2 lead before leaving the court with the physio.
The players exchanged breaks over the next two games before Muchova, after having the physio and doctor at her chair, held to reach 5-3 before taking advantage of new balls and sealing victory on her serve with an ace on her first match point.
“The new balls, it goes faster. You can put more spin so when I heard it was new balls (in the final game) I was actually pretty happy,” said world number 52 Muchova after improving to 4-0 in career meetings with Haddad Maia.
“I was trying to put the first serves in. I knew it could make some problems so it was nice in the last game.”
Haddad Maia, the first Brazilian woman to make the US Open quarter-finals since Maria Bueno in 1968, also required medical attention late in the match when she appeared to be having difficulty breathing.
Tiafoe, Fritz boost home hopes
Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz set up an all-American US Open semi-final to boost home hopes of a title sweep. The 20th seed Tiafoe progressed when ninth-ranked Grigor Dimitrov suffered an injury in the third set of their quarter-final and quit in the fourth with the score at 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 4-1.
Tiafoe also made the last four in 2022 while Fritz reached his first Grand Slam semi-final by defeating fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).
With Tiafoe and Fritz clashing tomorrow, the US is guaranteed a home men’s finalist for the first time since 2006 when Andy Roddick was defeated by Roger Federer. Roddick remains the last American man to capture a Grand Slam when he claimed the 2003 US Open.
“It’s not the way I wanted to win even if I’m happy to get through to the semi-finals,” said Tiafoe of Dimitrov’s injury.
“It was a very high-level match. You’re going to see me against another American, it’s going to be great.
“It will be the biggest match of our careers.”
Dimitrov, 33, sought treatment off court after the third set but was reduced to walking pace in the fourth as his hopes slipped away.
The Bulgarian was reluctant to discuss the specifics of his injury after a thigh problem forced him to also quit his last-16 match at Wimbledon in July.
“I think it’s a combination from everything. I think there’s really no point to talk about that. It’s just the game, and I need to keep my head up,” he said.
Zverev’s defeat to Fritz means world number one Jannik Sinner is the only top-four player left in the men’s draw following the shock early exits of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
“I have had a few looks at Grand Slam quarter-finals over the years so I felt it was my turn to take a step further,” said the 26-year-old Fritz, who cracked 12 aces amongst his 45 winners in his victory.
“It’s cool I’m in the semis. But I very much have the mindset of the job’s not done.”
Germany’s Zverev had been attempting to reach his ninth semi-final at the Slams and third in New York.
“Terrible. Just absolutely terrible by me,” he said of his performance. “I did nothing to deserve the win, simple as that.”
Meanwhile Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen was bidding to become the third Chinese woman to reach the US Open semi-finals after Li Na in 2013 and Peng Shuai in 2014. However, she was completely outplayed by Sabalenka in a 73-minute loss in which she hit just nine winners. Zheng said the record late finish to her last-16 clash which finished at 2:15am on Monday had impacted her performance. She said she only went to bed at 5:00am.
“I couldn’t sleep after I finished the match 2:30 in the morning. I’m not able to practice on Wednesday because I was feeling terrible,” said Zheng. The 26-year-old Sabalenka, runner-up to Coco Gauff in New York last year, will be playing in her fourth successive US Open semi-final and ninth at the Slams.
The Belarusian also defeated Zheng at the same stage of the US Open in 2023 before going on to beat the 21-year-old again in the Australian Open final in January. “It was important that I got the early break, that was an advantage because it’s tough to face her,” said Sabalenka.