Karolína Muchová

Karolína Muchová (; born 21 August 1996) is a Czech professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 6 by the WTA, achieved in July 2026, and a best doubles ranking of No. 156, reached in January 2026. Muchová has won three WTA Tour singles titles, including a WTA 1000 event at the 2026 Qatar Ladies Open. She has contested two major singles finals, at the 2023 French Open and 2026 Wimbledon Championships.

Muchová turned professional in 2013. Her father is former Czech footballer Josef Mucha. He introduced her to tennis at the age of seven. She also has a brother, with whom she did many sports when they were kids. Since there were tennis courts near her home, she decided to pick up a tennis racquet, and then when she was about 12, she chose tennis over handball. In 2019, she moved to Prague to train at the I. ČLTK Prague. She struggled with a lot of injuries during her junior years. In July 2017, she reached the final of the $75k ITS Cup in Olomouc, losing there to her countrymate Markéta Vondroušová. She then made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2017 Korea Open after defeating two low-ranked players, and then lost in the first round of the main draw to Priscilla Hon. She made her main-draw debut at a major event at the 2018 US Open winning three qualifying matches. After winning her opening-match against Dayana Yastremska, Muchová upset two-time Grand Slam champion and 12th seed Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round to score her first top-20 victory, advancing to the third round of the tournament. In the third round, she lost to Ashleigh Barty.

2019: Wimbledon quarterfinal, WTA 250 title

Ranked No. 139, Muchová made her main-draw debut at the Australian Open after qualifying. She lost in the first round to No. 8 Karolína Plíšková. Still after qualifying, Muchová made her main-draw debut at the Premier events at the Qatar Open. She defeated lucky loser Samantha Stosur and Hsieh Su-wei to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to No. 7 Elina Svitolina in straight sets. Still after qualifying, she debuted at the Premier Mandatory events at the Miami Open. She defeated qualifier Nao Hibino before losing to No. 4 Angelique Kerber.

Entering as a wildcard at the Prague Open, Muchová defeated qualifier Iga Świątek, Jennifer Brady, Natalia Vikhlyantseva, and Bernarda Pera to reach her first WTA Tour final. She lost in the final to qualifier Jil Teichmann in three sets. Nevertheless, her ranking rose to No. 74. At the French Open, she defeated No. 17 Anett Kontaveit before losing to Irina-Camelia Begu.

At the Wimbledon Championships, Muchová defeated Aleksandra Krunić, Madison Brengle, and 20th seed Anett Kontaveit to reach the fourth round. She defeated third seed Karolína Plíšková in a match that went to a third-set tiebreak and lasted three hours to claim her first top 10 victory and reach her first major quarterfinal. She lost in the quarterfinals to No. 8 seeded Elina Svitolina, in straight sets. Reaching the quarterfinals, she reached a career-high ranking of No. 43.

At the US Open, Muchová defeated qualifier Elena Rybakina and 28th seed Hsieh Su-wei before losing to No. 8 Serena Williams.

At the Korea Open, Muchová defeated Alison Van Uytvanck, qualifier Timea Babos, qualifier Priscilla Hon, and Wang Yafan to reach her second WTA tour final. She defeated Magda Linette in the final in straight sets to claim her first WTA Tour title. At the Kremlin Cup, Muchová defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova, No. 21 Donna Vekić, and Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach the semifinals. She lost in the semifinals to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets. At the end of the year, Muchová debuted at the WTA Elite Trophy. She defeated Sofia Kenin and Alison Riske in her round-robin group, but lost in the semifinals to Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. She finished the year as world No. 21.

2020: US Open fourth round In 2020, Muchová produced rather mixed results. At the Australian Open, she defeated Kirsten Flipkens before losing to CiCi Bellis. At the Dubai Championships, she lost in the first round to qualifier Kateřina Siniaková. At the Qatar Open, she defeated Magda Linette After the six month suspension of the WTA Tour due to COVID-19 pandemic, Muchová first played at the Cincinnati Open. She beat qualifier Ann Li Her best performance of the season came at the US Open. She beat Venus Williams, Anna Kalinskaya, and Sorana Cîrstea to reach the fourth round, where she lost to No. 27 Victoria Azarenka in three sets. At the French Open, she lost in the first round to Christina McHale. At the Ostrava Open, she defeated Zhang Shuai before losing to No. 21 Elise Mertens. However, she spent the whole year inside the top 30.

2021: Australian Open semifinal, top 20

At the Australian Open, Muchová defeated Jeļena Ostapenko, Mona Barthel, No. 6 Karolína Plíšková, and No. 16 Elise Mertens, without dropping a set, to reach her second major quarterfinal and her first at the Australian Open. She came back from a set down to upset world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and reach her first major semifinal. She lost in the semifinals to No. 24 Jennifer Brady in three sets.

At the Madrid Open, Muchová defeated Wang Qiang in the first round. In the second round, she upset world No. 2 Naomi Osaka in three sets. She defeated No. 16 Maria Sakkari in three sets to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal. She lost in the quarterfinals to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets. Nevertheless, she reached a new career-high ranking of No. 19. At the French Open, she defeated Andrea Petkovic and qualifier Varvara Lepchenko before losing to Sloane Stephens.

At the Wimbledon Championships, Muchová defeated Zhang Shuai, Camila Giorgi, No. 19 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Paula Badosa to reach her second consecutive Wimbledon quarterfinal. She lost in the quarterfinals to No. 28 Angelique Kerber in straight sets.

At the US Open, Muchová was ousted in the first round by Sara Sorribes Tormo.

2022: Multiple injuries, out of top 200 Muchová didn't play at the Australian Open because of an injury. She came back at the Miami Open. She defeated Tereza Martincová and No. 22 Leylah Fernandez, but withdrew from her match against Naomi Osaka due to a left abdominal injury.

Using protected ranking at the Madrid Open, Muchová defeated wildcard entrant Zheng Qinwen before losing to No. 13 Belinda Bencic. In Rome, she lost in the first round to qualifier Petra Martić. At the French Open, she defeated wildcard entrant Carole Monnet and No. 3 Maria Sakkari to reach the third round. She retired during her match against No. 28 Amanda Anisimova due to thigh and ankle injuries.

At Wimbledon, Muchová lost in the first round to No. 18 Simona Halep. At the US Open, she lost in the first round to Ajla Tomljanović. Her ranking fell outside the top 200.

2023: French Open final, top 10 Muchová started the season in Auckland. She defeated Wang Xiyu and qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to qualifier Rebeka Masarova in straight sets. Using protected ranking at the Australian Open, she defeated qualifier Lesia Tsurenko before losing to No. 13 Danielle Collins.

At the Dubai Championships, Muchová defeated Bernarda Pera, Sorana Cîrstea, and No. 8 Belinda Bencic, without dropping a set, to reach her second WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Although she withdrew from her quarterfinal match, her ranking rose to No. 76.

At the Indian Wells, Muchová defeated Yulia Putintseva, No. 14 Victoria Azarenka, No. 26 Martina Trevisan, and Markéta Vondroušová to reach her third WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Although she lost in the quarterfinals to No. 10 Elena Rybakina in three sets, her ranking rose to No. 55. before losing to Sorana Cîrstea.

Ranked No. 43 at the French Open, Muchová defeated No. 8 Maria Sakkari, Nadia Podoroska, No. 27 Irina-Camelia Begu and lucky loser Elina Avanesyan to reach her fourth major quarterfinal and her first at Roland Garros. She defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to reach her second major semifinal. She upset world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set match lasting over three hours, saving a match point and recovering from 2–5 down in the final set to reach her first major final, becoming the fifth Czech player to reach the final at Roland Garros in the Open Era. She was the fourth-lowest-ranked women's finalist in the French Open history. In the final, she lost to world No. 1 Iga Świątek in three sets. Nevertheless, she reached a new career-high ranking of No. 16.

At Wimbledon, Muchová lost in the first round to Jule Niemeier.

In Montreal, Muchová defeated No. 27 Anastasia Potapova and Sorana Cîrstea before losing again to world No. 1 Iga Świątek in three sets. In Cincinnati, Muchová defeated No. 19 Beatriz Haddad Maia, Petra Martić and No. 8 Maria Sakkari to reach her fourth WTA 1000 quarterfinal. She advanced to her first WTA 1000 semifinal as Marie Bouzková retired due to injury. In a rematch of their French Open semifinal, she upset world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka again in three sets to advance to her first WTA 1000 final. In the final, she lost to No. 7 Coco Gauff in straight sets. Nevertheless, her ranking rose to the top 10. Magdalena Fręch, Taylor Townsend, and Wang Xinyu to reach her fifth major quarterfinal and her first at US Open. She then quickly dispatched Sorana Cîrstea, only losing three games, to reach her second major semifinal of the season. In the semifinals, she lost again to No. 6 Coco Gauff in straight sets. Despite the loss, she reached a career-high ranking of No. 8.

Muchová qualified for the end-of-season WTA Finals for the first time, but was forced to withdraw from the tournament less than a week before it began due to a right wrist injury she suffered at the US Open.

2024: US Open semifinal Muchová withdrew from the Australian Open and in February 2024 underwent wrist surgery which made her skip the Middle Eastern swing and the USA Sunshine Double tournaments extending her hiatus. She made her return to the WTA Tour in June at the Eastbourne International. She defeated qualifiers Elina Avanesyan and Magda Linette to reach the quarterfinals, but withdrew from the next round due to a right wrist injury. At Wimbledon, she lost in the first round to Paula Badosa. Entering as a wildcard at the Palermo Ladies Open, Muchová defeated Irina-Camelia Begu to reach the final. She lost in the final to top seed Zheng Qinwen, in three sets.

In Cincinnati, Muchová defeated Dayana Yastremska before losing to world No. 6, Jessica Pegula, in three sets. At the US Open, Muchová defeated Katie Volynets, wildcard entrant Naomi Osaka, Anastasia Potapova, No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 21 Beatriz Haddad Maia, without dropping a set, to reach the semifinal stage of the tournament for the second consecutive year. In the semifinals, she lost again to No. 6 Jessica Pegula in three sets.

At the China Open, Muchová defeated Anna Blinkova, Yuan Yue, Jaqueline Cristian, Cristina Bucșa, without dropping a set, to reach the quarterfinals. She upset world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets to reach the semifinals. She defeated No. 7 Zheng Qinwen in straight sets to make her second WTA 1000 final. She lost in the final to No. 6 Coco Gauff in straight sets. Muchová continued to have good form at the Ningbo Open. She overcame qualifier Olivia Gadecki, lucky loser Jaqueline Cristian and No. 12 Anna Kalinskaya to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, she retired due to injury, after losing the first set to Mirra Andreeva.

2025: US Open quarterfinal Muchová represented Czech Republic at the 2025 United Cup. She defeated Malene Helgø and Jasmine Paolini to lead the Czech Republic into the semifinals. She lost her last group match against Iga Świątek and lost her semifinal match against Coco Gauff. At the Australian Open, she defeated Nadia Podoroska before losing to Naomi Osaka. At the Linz Open, Muchová defeated qualifier Sara Sorribes Tormo and Anastasia Potapova to make it through to the semifinals, where she lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets.

At the Dubai Championships, Muchová defeated qualifier Suzan Lamens, wildcard entrant Emma Raducanu, and McCartney Kessler to reach the quarterfinals. She defeated wildcard entrant Sorana Cîrstea, winning her ninth straight tour-level quarterfinal (excluding her 2024 Easbourne walkover), to reach the semifinals. She lost in the semifinals to Clara Tauson in three sets.

At the Indian Wells, Muchová defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Kateřina Siniaková to reach the fourth round, where she lost to world No. 2 Iga Świątek in straight sets. In Miami, she moved into the third round as Victoria Azarenka retired while trailing by a set. She lost in the third round to No. 22 Elina Svitolina.

At the French Open, Muchová lost in the first round to Alycia Parks. At Wimbledon, she lost in the first round to Wang Xinyu.

Muchová reached her third straight US Open quarterfinal with three-set wins over wildcard entrant Venus Williams, Sorana Cîrstea, Linda Nosková, and No. 28 Marta Kostyuk. She lost in the quarterfinals to No. 24 Naomi Osaka in straight sets.

2026: Wimbledon final, WTA 1000 title Muchová started the new season at Brisbane International. She defeated wildcard entrant Ajla Tomljanovic, No. 10 Ekaterina Alexandrova and No. 5 Elena Rybakina to reach the semifinals, where she lost to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. At the Australian Open, she defeated Jaqueline Cristian, Alycia Parks, and Magda Linette to reach the fourth round, where she lost to No. 3 Coco Gauff in three sets.

At the Qatar Open, Muchová defeated Jaqueline Cristian and qualifier Tereza Valentova to reach the third round. She reached the quarterfinals as Karolína Plíšková retired. She defeated Anna Kalinskaya and Maria Sakkari to reach her third WTA 1000 final. She defeated No. 13 Victoria Mboko in straight sets to win her first WTA 1000 title and her second WTA tour title after the 2019 Korea Open.

At the Indian Wells, Muchová defeated Anna Bondár and Antonia Ružić before losing to world No. 2 Iga Świątek in straight sets. In Miami, Muchová defeated Camila Osorio, Katie Boulter, No. 29 Alexandra Eala, and No. 9 Victoria Mboko to reach the semifinals, where she lost to No. 4 Coco Gauff again in straight sets.

At the Stuttgart Open, Muchová defeated qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Elise Mertens to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, she snapped a losing streak of six matches against No. 3 Coco Gauff. She defeated No. 7 Elina Svitolina in three sets to reach her second final of the year. She lost in the final to No. 2 Elena Rybakina in straight sets.

At the French Open, Muchová defeated Anastasia Zakharova and Kamilla Rakhimova before losing to Jil Teichmann.

At the Berlin Open, Muchová partnered with 23-time major singles champion Serena Williams, but the pair lost in the first round. At the same tournament in singles, she defeated qualifier Zhang Shuai before losing to Madison Keys. At the Bad Homburg Open, Muchová defeated qualifier Irina-Camelia Begu, Clara Tauson and qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse to reach her third final of the year. She went on to win the title as No. 15 Naomi Osaka retired due to a foot injury. This marked her second title of the year and her first career grass-court singles title. Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals, and Coco Gauff in the semifinals in three sets. Her run at the tournament now means she has reached the semifinals of all four major tournaments. Reaching the final, she attained a new career-high ranking of No. 6 in the world.

Endorsements Muchová is sponsored by Adidas for her attire and by Head for her rackets.

Career statistics

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: 2 (2 runner-ups)

Mixed doubles: 1 (title)

Olympic medal matches

Doubles: 1 (4th place)

WTA 1000 finals

Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)