At 1-1 in the second set, two unforced errors and a double fault from Zheng handed her opponent the break. The No. 5 seed fought to stay with her opponent, saving two match points along the way, but ultimately couldn’t make enough impact on return. After one hour and 47 minutes, Muchova officially avenged her Palermo final loss to Zheng.
The current world No. 49 is through to her second WTA 1000 title match. Gauff prevailed to win their 2023 Cincinnati championship clash and followed it up by besting the Czech in Muchova’s first of successive US Open semifinal runs.
A win over Gauff would see the Olomouc native cap her tournament by taking out three Top 5 seeds. In the quarterfinals, Muchova eliminated top seed Aryna Sabalenka to end the world No 2’s 15-match win streak.
