Karolina Muchova ended Aryna Sabalenka’s 15 match winning streak as she won 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 to reach the Beijing semi-finals.
It was a 2 hour and 46 minute epic which saw Muchova progress into the last four in the Chinese capital.
Sabalenka had won her last 15 matches having won titles in Cincinnati and at the US Open but it was Muchova who was the more authoritative on return, creating ten break point opportunities.
Speaking after the match Muchova spoke about her aggressive approach to the contest as the Czech Republican once again beat Sabalenka, “She’s one of the best players playing her best tennis these days. You really have to be ready to attack, because if you slice slow ball or something she’s really going to smash you,” Muchova told the WTA website.
“Second set I fell a little short. I felt a little down and she was just smashing it. I just tried to get through the second set, tried to regroup. Third set, I was just trying to fight for every ball. We’ve had some close battles, so I was trying to put every ball over the net and it was worth it in the end.
“I played her twice last year, and it’s definitely been a year of improvement. She drop shots, she’s better at net. There were some great shots she played. I think she’s moving better. I could see that she improved, and I was just trying to keep up.
“But I think I improved as well. Somehow I was feeling pretty good on court. Of course, I still need to work on my fitness — I didn’t have much time to work on it this year.”
As a result of the win Muchova now leads the head-to-head 3-1 against Sabalenka as she will now face Qinwen Zheng in the last four, after she defeated Mirra Andreeva in three sets.
The other semi-final on Saturday will see Coco Gauff take on Paula Badosa with the head-to-head currently at 3-2 Badosa.
