Muchova sees off 2024 champion Krejcikova to reach first Wimbledon quarter-final since 2021
Karolina Muchova defeated Barbora Krejcikova 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 on Sunday afternoon and will play the winner of the match between Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed, and Japanese Naomi Osaka, the No 14 seed, in the next round
Karolina Muchova, Wimbledon 2026 | © Schreyer/Psnewz
World No 9 Karolina Muchova came through an all-Czech fourth-round match with Barbora Krejcikova, the 2024 champion, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 at Wimbledon on Sunday to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in five years.
It was Muchova’s eighth win in a row – a streak that began with the title at Bad Homburg on grass a week earlier – and an eighth career Grand Slam quarter-final. She has now made the last eight at the All England Club three times, after 2019 and 2021.
Muchova holds on after Krejcikova erases a big lead
Muchova looked set for a routine afternoon, leading by a set and 5-2 and standing two points from victory as she served at 5-4 in the second.
Krejcikova refused to fold, taking the set 7-5 to force a decider. “I was just trying not to think about it, really focused on the moment”, Muchova saif after the match. “I still felt good. I could see she started to hit really freely when I was 5-2 up, she played some good points, she just went for it. I don’t think I made too many bad decisions there. As I said on court, she deserved the second set. I was just trying to start well with my serve, stay aggressive, and focus more on my serving in the third.”
The match hinged, as it had throughout, on a single break in each set: Muchova broke for the opening set at 6-5 and again at 2-1 in the third, and Krejcikova’s inability to respond proved the thin line in an intense contest that closed with a warm handshake between the two friends.
“On those crucial break points I was telling myself: I have to play the ball and win the ball, not just put it, because she’s going to take it. That helped, definitely, through the third set”, Muchova said.
Muchova had reached the fourth round without dropping a set, edging Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew in a tie-break before straight-sets wins over Zhang Shuai of China and Anastasia Zakharova of Russia. Krejcikova, ranked 38th and unseeded on her return, had taken the hard road, ending the run of No 5 seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia in three sets and beating Britain’s Hannah Klugman to reach the second week.
Muchova next faces the winner of top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and No 14 seed Naomi Osaka of Japan, a steep step up but one her grass-court form has earned.
Wimbledon 2026, Women’s single, 4th round
A. Sabalenka [1] vs N. Osaka [14] – Sunday
K. Muchova [10] vs B. Krejcikova: 7-5, 5-7, 6-3
J. Pegula [4] d. I. Jovic [16]: 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
C. Gauff [7] vs B. Bencic [11] – Sunday
M. Kostyuk [12] vs A. Krueger (Q) – Monday
J. Paolini [13] vs A. Eala [29] – Monday
M. Keys [26] vs L. Noskova [9] – Monday
M. Bouzkova [21] vs E. Mertens [25] – Monday
