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Karolina Muchova is advancing through the US Open draw, reaching the fourth round at the tournament where she was a semifinalist in the past two editions. However, a personal matter involving her ex-boyfriend caused her great discomfort during one of her matches in New York.
The 29-year-old seemed distracted during her second-round win over Sorana Cirstea. The Czech star built a 4-1 lead in the opening set when something in the crowd visibly unsettled her, even bringing her to tears. She later explained she had noticed her ex-boyfriend in the stands, which she admitted was deeply disturbing:
“It’s not tennis-related, so I don’t like to talk about it. But, my ex-boyfriend sat right next to my box. He likes to appear at places where he shouldn’t be, and where I am. So that scared me a little bit. I asked him whether he could leave. At first, he didn’t, but then he left. It was difficult for me to focus on tennis at that moment,” the 2023 French Open runner-up explained.
Despite the emotional distraction, she managed to get through the match and then backed it up with another win, edging compatriot Linda Noskova 6-7(5) 6-4 6-2 in a rollercoaster battle to secure her spot in the fourth round.
Players do have the option to request that certain individuals be barred from attending their matches, but the two-time US Open semifinalist chose not to involve the WTA or tournament officials.
“Yeah, I’m alright. I didn’t make any report and everything is good,” Muchova said after her third-round win over Noskova. In the fourth round, the 11th seed is set to meet 27th seed Marta Kostyuk. (source: Tennis World USA)
