Muchova Snaps Rybakina’s Streak for Brisbane Semifinal Clash
Karolina Muchova outlasts Elena Rybakina in a tense three-setter at Pat Rafter Arena, ending a 13-match run and setting up a grudge match with Aryna Sabalenka in the Brisbane semifinals.
In the sweltering heat of Pat Rafter Arena, Karolina Muchova turned a quarterfinal into a gritty reclamation project. The Czech player, whose career has been punctuated by frustrating injury absences, dismantled Elena Rybakina’s imposing 13-match winning streak with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory. This wasn’t mere survival; it was a tactical masterclass that propelled her into a semifinal against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, where old rivalries and fresh momentum collide on Brisbane’s hard courts.
Muchova’s return to the tour has carried the weight of lost time, her absences creating gaps that opponents once exploited. Yet on this Friday, she channeled that frustration into precise, patient tennis, generating 11 break points against Rybakina’s powerful serve. The 29-year-old’s variety—deep crosscourt forehands pulling the Kazakh wide, followed by backhand slices that skimmed low—disrupted the rhythm of a player who had dominated hard courts all season.
“I’m just happy to be playing again, to be out here,” Muchova said after the match. “I missed a few years in Australia that I didn’t even come because of injury, so it’s just great that I’m here and enjoying playing with my team and friends here.”
Muchova pounces early on serve
The first set unfolded with surgical efficiency, Muchova earning two break points right in the opening game through aggressive returns that hugged the baseline. Rybakina’s first serves bailed her out initially, but at 2-all, a double fault on break point handed the Czech a 3-2 lead she never relinquished. From there, Muchova reeled off four straight games, her unforced errors limited to five against Rybakina’s 18, as crosscourt backhands kept the former Wimbledon champion pinned deep and scrambling.
The hard court’s consistent bounce suited Muchova’s heavy topspin, allowing her to step inside the baseline and crowd Rybakina’s swing on second serves. She closed the set in 35 minutes, a testament to disciplined aggression that forced errors without overreaching. The crowd’s murmurs built as the arena lights caught the spin on her forehands, signaling a shift in a match that felt evenly poised on paper.
Rybakina levels, decider hangs tight
Rybakina reset in the second set, flattening her groundstrokes to shorten points and exploit the surface’s pace with inside-in forehands that whistled past Muchova’s defenses. The Kazakh broke early and held firm, leveling the score at one set apiece after more than an hour of back-and-forth. Her serve regained its penetrating edge, turning potential rallies into quick holds that sapped Muchova’s momentum.
The decider stretched into a pressure-filled standoff, with neither player budging through the first eight games—holds coming via gritty defense and clutch winners amid rising tension. Muchova broke to love at 4-4, her down-the-line backhand return catching Rybakina off-balance for a 5-4 edge. Serving out the match, she sealed it with a forehand winner that kissed the line, her fist pump drawing roars from the stands as the streak shattered.
For ongoing updates, Brisbane: Scores | Draws | Order of play offer the latest on the tournament’s pulse.
Sabalenka crushes Keys in power display
Hours later, Aryna Sabalenka faced a stylistic mirror in Madison Keys, whose flat-hitting arsenal tested the Belarusian’s resolve from the baseline. Keys snagged a 3-2 lead, but Sabalenka responded with four straight games, her backhand down-the-line on third set point clinching the opener 6-3. The World No. 1’s ability to redirect pace turned Keys’ aggression against her, even as the American racked up 25 winners to Sabalenka’s 20.
Seven double faults plagued Keys in the first set, vulnerabilities that Sabalenka exploited by stepping forward on returns. In the second, the Belarusian dialed up her serve, firing five aces after none earlier, and pounced on second deliveries with vicious forehand returns down the line for a 3-1 break. Keys broke back once, her highlight-reel winners keeping the pressure on, but Sabalenka’s mental edge held, closing 6-3 and advancing with poise intact.
“I was trying to put as much pressure as I can on her serve,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “That’s all I was thinking about, and I think I did it well. I put so much pressure back on her because yeah, she’s aggressive, but then I tried to put all that speed back at her.”
This semifinal reunion carries history: Muchova leads 3-1 head-to-head, winning their last three since 2023, including a three-set thriller in the 2024 Beijing quarterfinals. That victory propelled her to her most recent WTA final, a spark now reignited amid Brisbane’s outdoor hard courts. Sabalenka’s lone win dates to 2019, and reversing the trend demands precision against Muchova’s one–two patterns—deep forehands into slice approaches that disrupt her power game.
The matchup tests more than tactics; it’s a clash of comebacks and expectations in the 2026 season’s opening act. Muchova’s resilience, honed through rehab and doubt, meets Sabalenka’s champion intensity under the Australian sun. As the final four takes shape, this duel could redefine early narratives, with the winner eyeing a title run that builds unbreakable momentum.
