Czech 10th-seed Karolina Muchova beat American tennis star Coco Gauff, in a drama-filled three-set semifinal at Wimbledon on Thursday.
Muchova won the first set 6–2, before dropping the second set 1–6. After the Czech missed a backhand long in the deciding super tiebreak, Gauff went up 9–8.
With match point on her serve, the American was in prime position but went for a dropshot that fell short, hitting the tape.
The Czech took the tiebreak 12–10 on her second match point, earning her spot in the Women’s Wimbledon final against fellow Czech, ninth-seed Linda Noskova.
“There’s one thing to be like, ‘oh why play a drop shot?’ But then I also think about how many points I won off the drop shot,” Gauff said at a press conference. “At the end of the day, It’s like that’s the choice I made. Was it the right one in the moment? Maybe not. But then also, if I make it, everyone’s going to say how clutch of a shot it was.”
Gauff said Muchova’s return on that point came back in a “tricky place” and the bounce caught her off guard and caused her to panic a bit.
Coco Gauff of the United States acknowledges the crowd as she leaves the court following defeat to Karolina Muchova of Czechia during their Ladies' Singles semifinal match on day eleven of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on July 9, 2026. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
“[I’m] definitely going to think about that [missed dropshot] point for a while,” Gauff said. “It’s tough to digest, but I don’t know, I’m happy.”
Gauff originally made her breakthrough in 2019 when she upset five-time Wimbledon Champion Serena Williams and made the fourth round at just 15 years old.
She hadn’t been able to make it past the fourth round at the All England Club until this year, despite her success at other majors—winning the U.S. Open in 2023 and French Open in 2025.
Despite Thursday’s loss, the seventh seed said she didn’t think she’d even make the semifinals this year so the tournament was still an overall positive one.
The semifinal was also Muchova’s first at Wimbledon—a tournament she’s recently struggled at, going out in the first round the previous four years.
“I think I’m really kind of shaking and trying to sink it in,” she said in an on-court interview after the match. “But the atmosphere here [is] undescribable.”
Muchova described the rollercoaster-like feeling during the super tiebreak.
“You’re up and down in 10 seconds. You have match point then you’re match point down,” she said. “It’s no time to think, but [it was] very nerve-wracking.”
The all-Czech final will crown a new Wimbledon champion and first-time Grand Slam winner.
