Istanbul / Ahmed Hassan / Anadolu

Czech Karolina Muchova booked her place in the Wimbledon final for the first time in her career after a surprise win over American Coco Gauff in three sets on Thursday in the semifinals.

The world No. 10 settled the match against Gauff, ranked seventh in the world, with scores of 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 in 2 hours and 35 minutes, recording her second win in their head-to-head meetings against six losses.

With this result, the Czech player is just one win away from winning her first Grand Slam title, after suffering numerous injuries in recent years, including issues with her left wrist, foot, back, and ankle.

In 2022, doctors told Muchova that it would be better for her to give up tennis altogether, while surgery on her right wrist kept her off the court for 10 months during 2023 and 2024.

The 29-year-old player, who finished runner-up at the 2023 French Open, will face either her compatriot Linda Noskova, ranked ninth in the world, or world No. 12 Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the final on Saturday.

Muchova aims to become the third Czech woman to win the Wimbledon singles title in four years, following victories by Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024.

Since American Serena Williams won her last of seven titles in 2016, a long list of first-time champions has emerged, and 2026 continued this trend, especially after the exits of titleholders Iga Swiatek of Poland, Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic, and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the earlier rounds.