Coco Gauff’s best run at Wimbledon is over. Gauff bounced back from a tough first set and fought valiantly, but was unable to get past Karolina Muchova in a tense third set tie-break.
With a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (10) win, Muchova heads to the Wimbledon final for the first time in her career. She will face Linda Noskova, who defeated Marta Kostyuk in straight sets, in the final.
Gauff finished the match early. Gauff won the first game, but lost the second and was broken by Muchova in the third. Gauff seemed to improve in Game 4, but she lost four straight points and gave Muchova an early 3-1 lead. A missed shot affected Gauff in the next match, and Muchova quickly won.
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The sixth game of the first set appeared to be the beginning of a turnaround for Gauff, who won the first three points to take a 40-0 lead. But Gauff couldn’t finish it. Muchova scored the next five points to win the match and take a commanding 5-1 lead. Gauff once again struggled to get a shutout in the next game. Despite reaching the game point first, Gauff again allowed Muchova to take the lead. This time, however, Gauff showed resilience and ultimately stopped Muchova’s comeback to make it 5-2.
But Gauff’s rally didn’t last long. Muchova was able to close out the set in the next game as well, winning 6-2. Gauff’s 12 unforced errors played a role in her giving up the set. But if there was any reason to be hopeful, Muchova struggled to get her first serve in. If Gauff can play a cleaner game going forward, there’s a chance she can turn things around.
Immediately after, Gauff appeared to be in better shape for the start of the second set. She hit two aces in the first game and took an early 1-0 lead. They were her first aces of the day. Muchova managed to take the next game, but fell short after Gauff’s late rally. The set ended in a draw, but Gauff already looked much better compared to her first set performance.
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She took advantage of that in the next match, stopping Muchova from scoring one point. In the next match, Gauff jumped out early and took a 40-0 lead. However, break points once again proved difficult for Gauff, dropping her next two points and going 0-of-8 on break point attempts. But her struggles ended there as Gauff eventually prevailed and led 3-1 in the set.
Things seemed to be looking up for Gauff, but he won the next two games to improve to 5-1. Gauff’s struggles in the first set appear to be over for good, giving her momentum heading into the final set. A quick win in the next game gave Gauff the set. She seemed to be in complete control now.
The momentum stalled somewhat at the start of the final set. Gauff was unable to score in the first leg, but in the second leg she almost allowed Muchova to come back and the match ended 1-1. After Muchova took the third game easily, Gauff was almost broken in the fourth, but recovered in time to win.
The pair traded the next four games, keeping the final set tied at 4-4. Gauff had a chance to take the lead in the ninth game and came close, but was unable to overcome Muchova. With this win, Muchova is now one game away from winning the match. Gauff tried to maintain balance and stole the serve. Gauff was holding serve and it looked like the first player to break her opponent would win the match.
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That didn’t happen in Game 11. Muchova held the lead at 6-5 and served back to Gauff. But the American held serve and the match went to a tiebreak. If there was any hope for Gauff, Muchova was seen stretching in the final set, clutching her side, and was starting to show signs of fatigue.
That didn’t seem to be the case early in the tiebreak, with Muchova jumping out from a 4-1 start. Gauff had her back against the wall but bounced back, closing the gap to 4-3. After leading 6-3, Muchova appeared to be in control. Gauff narrowed the lead again to 6-5, setting up a chance for Muchova to win the tiebreaker on her next serve.
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But Gauff came back strong and pushed it to 6-6 in the tiebreak. At this point, both players refused to concede. The tiebreak was extended to 10-10 despite multiple match points for each player.
Muchova took an 11-10 lead and turned it around with two serves from Gauff. In the end, Muchova won the tiebreak 12-10 to take the set and end the match.
With the win, Muchova advances to her first Grand Slam final. She had reached the semifinals of three major tournaments before Thursday, but had never made it past the round. Muchova will therefore play for her first Grand Slam title on Saturday.
She will face a familiar opponent from Noskova in the final. The two have faced each other three times during their careers, with Muchova winning two of them.
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Following her straight-sets win over Kostyuk on Thursday, Noskova is also aiming for her first Grand Slam title. Noskova reached the quarterfinals of only one Grand Slam tournament during her career. She has already surpassed that result at Wimbledon in 2026.
Gauff will leave the game disappointed. This was her best performance at Wimbledon, where she has struggled throughout her career. She came very close to reaching the finals by defeating Muchova, but was unable to finish the job. With Gauff out, it looks like she will have to take solace in figuring out how to excel on grass. If she can indeed crack the key to victory at Wimbledon, Gauff could do the same next year.
Entering Thursday, Gauff held a huge advantage over Muchova. The American is 6-1 in seven career singles matches. But Gauff had one troubling sign. The last time the two faced off was at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in April. Muchova scored her first victory over Gauff.
Gauff pushed Muchova to the limit, and that trend continued Thursday. Muchova, who defeated Gauff, is now ready to complete her next assignment by defeating Noskova on Saturday.
