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‘Thousands of People Would Love to Lose In Semifinals’: Coco Gauff Shocks With Positive Outlook After Wimbledon Exit

Posted byBy Jordan James | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Coco Gauff was favored to reach her first Wimbledon championship match, but Karolina Muchova had other ideas in Thursday’s semifinal.

Gauff and Muchova faced off in the first of two Wimbledon semifinal matchups scheduled for Thursday. Muchova won the first set 6-2 before Gauff responded with a 6-1 win in the second set.

That set up the decisive third set, which Muchova won 7-6 after a 12-10 tiebreak to advance to the Wimbledon finals. Gauff had match point at 9-8 in the tiebreak set, but Muchova fought back to complete the win.

Left:  Karolina Muchova (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) Right: Coco Gauff (Shi Tang/Getty Images)

Gauff, at No. 7, was the highest remaining seed left in the women’s bracket at Wimbledon entering the semifinal round. Muchova is the 10-seed in the tournament, while No. 12 Marta Kostyuk and No. 9 Linda Noskova met in the other semifinal match.

In her six Wimbledon appearances prior to this year, the 22-year-old Gauff failed to make it further than the Round of 16. That changed with the Gauff’s quarterfinal victory over Jessica Pegula, Gauff’s ex-doubles partner, on July 7 to reach her first semifinal at Wimbledon.

“It’s not a painful story,” Gauff said after losing the semifinal match. “I think thousands of people would love to lose the semifinals of Wimbledon on match point.

“Is it something I’d love to experience again? For sure, no. But it’ll make my next moment when I win a match like this even sweeter.

“It’s just one of those days where it didn’t go my way. Someone had to lose and unfortunately it was me today.”

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Muchova, 30, defeated Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinal round to earn the matchup against Gauff in the semifinals on Thursday. She has battled numerous injuries during her tennis career.

“I’m happy that now I’m, like, selling my game and that I can use it,” Muchova said entering the semifinal round. “I’m definitely appreciating more the time that I’m here, that I can play, that I don’t have these big issues that I had in the past. I’m enjoying the moment that I’m here.”

Muchova will face Noskova in the women’s Wimbledon final on July 11.

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