MELBOURNE - Karolína Muchová lost to Coco Gauff of the USA in the eighth round of the Australian Open. The last Czech representative in the women's singles lost to the third-ranked player in the world rankings 1:6, 6:3, 3:6 after a two-hour battle. Defending champion Kateřina Siniaková and American Taylor Townsend went through to the doubles quarter-finals without a fight. Their opponents Miju Katova of Japan and Fanny Stollar of Hungary withdrew from the tournament. Both world number ones Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka also managed to win their fourth match in Melbourne without losing a set. Alcaraz knocked out American Tommy Paul after 7:6, 6:4, 7:5, while Sabalenka defeated 19-year-old Canadian debutant Victoria Mbokova 6:1, 7:6.
Muchova, who was the tournament's No. 19 in Melbourne, was playing against Gauff, the holder of two Grand Slam titles, for the fifth time. She had not lost a set against her in their previous matches. The winner of the 2023 US Open and last year's Roland Garros, Gauff confirmed her reputation as an excellent returner early in the match. Muchova held her serve until the third attempt, but only averted a threatened canard. However, the game changed in the second set. The Czech tennis player did not make so many mistakes in important moments, so Gauffová started to choose more careful strokes. Muchova converted two break points and held her three-game lead.
The fourth game of the third act was decided in which Muchová lost her serve and did not make up the loss, although she had a chance on a break point. With her courageous play, she fended off three more break points, but her return on the fourth one went into the net. Twenty-nine-year-old Much played the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time since 2021, when she reached the semi-finals. Defending champion Kateryna Siniakova and American Taylor Townsend went through to the doubles quarter-finals without a fight. Their opponents Miju Katova of Japan and Fanny Stollar of Hungary withdrew from the tournament. Siniakova has won three times in Australia. She has 11 Grand Slam titles in total, including one in the mix. In that one, she will face a second-round match against the Netherlands' Seme Verbeek in Melbourne.
Siniakova and Townsend reach the Australian Open quarterfinals without a fight
Siniakova has already won three times in Australia. She has 11 Grand Slam titles in total, including one in the mix. In that one, she will face Dutchman Seme Verbeek in Melbourne in the second round. Karolína Muchová will try to reach the quarter-finals of the singles today. In the 4th round match, the tournament's No. 19 will face the third player in the world ranking, Coco Gauff of the USA, holder of two Grand Slam titles.
Alcaraz and Sabalenka are both unbeaten in Australian Open quarter-finals
Tennis players Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, while both world leaders managed to win their fourth match at the Grand Slam in Melbourne without losing a set. Alcaraz knocked out American Tommy Paul 7:6, 6:4, 7:5, while Sabalenka defeated 19-year-old Canadian debutant Victoria Mbokova 6:1, 7:6. Twenty-two-year-old Alcaraz already has six Grand Slam trophies, but in Melbourne his best is the quarterfinals. In that, his opponent this year will be either home tennis player Alex de Minaur or Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. Paul has beaten him twice in the past, but most recently three years ago. This time he started with a break and sent seven aces to Alcaraz's half of the court, but he did not threaten the favourite's progress.
In the tie-break of the first set, the match was interrupted by the intervention of paramedics who were treating an elderly spectator in the stands. After a break of about a quarter of an hour, the match could resume. Mbokova rallied against Sabalenka in the second set at 1:4. She took the Belarusian favourite off her serve twice, turned away three match points and took the set to a tie-break. But Sabalenka succeeded and extended her record Grand Slam winning streak to 20 consecutive games. “She's an incredible player for her age,“ the 27-year-old Sabalenka, who is seeking her fifth Grand Slam title, praised her opponent.
She has triumphed twice in Melbourne, last year losing in the final to American Madison Keys. In the quarter-finals she will face an even younger opponent, 18-year-old American Iva Jovic. The latter shone with a clear 6-0, 6-1 victory over Julia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in a match that lasted just 53 minutes.
Tennis Grand Slam tournament Australian Open in Melbourne
(hard surface, A$111.5 million subsidy)
Men:
Doubles - 4th round:
Alcaraz (1-Sp.) - Paul (19-USA) 7:6 (8:6), 6:4, 7:5, Zverev (3-Germ.) - F. Cerúndolo (18-Arg.) 6:2, 6:4, 6:4.
Doubles - 3rd round:
L. Johnson, Zielinski (Brit./Pol.) - Pavlásek, Smith (Czech Republic/Austr.) 6:3, 6:4.
Women:
Doubles - 4th round:
Sabalenka (1-Bel.) - Mbokova (17-Kan.) 6:1, 7:6 (7:1), Jovic (29-USA) - Putintseva (Kaz.) 6:0, 6:1, Gauff (3-USA) - Much (19-BR) 6:1, 3:6, 6:3.
Doubles - 3rd round:
Siniakova, Townsend (1-Czech Republic/USA) - Katova, Stollar (15-Japan/Germany) without a fight.
Juniors:
Singles - 1st round:
Zoldakova (CZ) - Popova (Fr.) 4:6, 6:1, 6:0, J. Kovačková (2-CR) - James (Jam.) 3:6, 7:6 (8:6), 6:2, Skliarova (Ukr.) - Heřmanová (Czech Republic) 6:4, 6:2, Burcescu (Romania) - Hettler (16-UN) 6:3, 6:2.
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