Tuesday night’s historic all-American (and all-African American) men’s US Open quarterfinal showdown between Ben Shelton and No. 10 seed Frances Tiafoe served to celebrate a return to dominance for the American men. More quietly, however, the preceding match during the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium quietly celebrated another country’s dominance.<\/p>\n
When Karolina Muchova, herself a No. 10 seed, made quick work of 30th-seeded Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea in a 6-0 6-3 win, she secured a spot in the semifinals and provided yet another highlight in what has been a memorable 2023 for the women of Czechia.<\/p>\n
For Muchova, the victory over Cirstea marked her second trip to the final four of a Grand Slam this season. At the French Open<\/a>, the unseeded 27-year-old knocked off No. 8 Maria Sakkari in the first round and outlasted No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in a dramatic semifinal to reach her first Major final. Facing world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, she became the only player to take a set of the Polish superstar all tournament before falling in three sets.<\/p>\n One month later, Marketa Vondrousova did Muchova one better by completing a stunning, historic\u00a0journey<\/a> to the Wimbledon<\/a> women’s singles title. The first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon in the Open Era, Vondrousova took out the likes of No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula, No. 12 Veronika Kudermetova, and wild card sensation Elina Svitolina before toppling No. 6 seed Ons Jabeur for her first Slam crown.<\/p>\n