Cincinnati Open: Gracheva upsets Muchova, other qualifier Seidel next

French qualifier Varvara Gracheva produced a commanding performance to defeat No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova (6-2, 6-4) and advance to the round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday night at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Gracheva, ranked No. 103 in the WTA rankings, will next face fellow qualifier Ella Seidel of Germany in the last 16 of the WTA 1000 event.

The Frenchwoman had already battled past No. 24 seed Sofia Kenin (6-7 [7], 6-3, 6-3) and American wild card Katie Volynets (6-4, 3-6, 6-3) earlier in the tournament. The opportunity is significant for Gracheva, as a potential quarter-final spot would come against the world No. 125, Germany’s Ella Seidel.

Although she faced an early break point in the opening game, Gracheva quickly found her rhythm, using her counterpunching skills to put Muchova under constant pressure. The Czech was generous in her errors — 16 unforced errors in the first set alone, including a double fault on break point — and the Frenchwoman stayed composed to take control of the scoreboard.

In the second set, an early advantage for Gracheva slipped away after a double fault in a poor service game, but Muchova failed to capitalise. Remaining steady in the rallies, the 25-year-old broke decisively in the final game with a superb return winner. Statistically, Gracheva was the more clinical player, converting 4 of 8 break points compared to just 1 of 4 for Muchova.

I’m looking for someone I can work well with long-term. I hope this will be the case.

“I had a very good plan: make her move as much as possible, put maximum pressure on her. She gave me some points, but it mostly means the plan worked,” Gracheva told the tournament organisers. This is her first appearance in the round of 16 at a WTA 1000 event this season.

The victory over the world No. 14 also secures her return to the top 100, shortly after changing coaches. “I feel good. I needed positive emotions,” she said. “It’s complicated to manage. I stayed at the ETC for eight years and maybe had 10 coaches. The problem is that each has a different vision and approach, which is stressful. Leaving the ETC didn’t solve the problem immediately. I’m looking for someone I can work well with long-term. I hope this will be the case.”

“I can be creative on court — it’s in my DNA — but I also know there’s a plan to execute. If I make the wrong choices, my creativity won’t matter. The coach helps with that balance.”

Gracheva knows her next opponent, Seidel, will be just as determined. “We’ll be on equal footing. She’s a good player, and winning five matches already means she’s a fighter. But we’ll prepare the match well and try to apply the tactics, just like against Muchova.”

Cincinnati WTA 1000, other 32 results (Lindner Family Tennis Center, hard, USD 5.152.599, most recent results first):

• Clara Tauson vs. Veronika Kudermetova
• Magda Linette vs. Jessica Pegula
• Lucia Bronzetti vs. Jelena Ostapenko: tuesday
• Coco Gauff (2) beat Dayana Yastremska (32): W/O
• Jasmine Paolini (7) beat Ashlyn Krueger (26): 7-6 (2), 6-1
• Barbora Krejcikova beat Iva Jovic (LL): 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
• Ella Seidel beat McCartney Kessler (29): 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (6)
• Elena Rybakina (9) beat Elise Mertens (19): 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
• Madison Keys (6) beat Aoi Ito (Q): 6-4, 6-0
• Anna Kalinskaya (28) beat Amanda Anisimova (5): 7-5, 6-4
• Aryna Sabalenka (1) beat Emma Raducanu (30): 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (5)
• Sorana Cirstea beat Yue Yuan (LL): 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4
• Ekaterina Alexandrova (12) beat Maya Joint: 6-4, 6-3
• Jessica Bouzas Maneiro beat Taylor Townsend (WC): 6-4, 6-1
• Iga Swiatek (3) beat Marta Kostyuk (25): W/O