(Reuters) – Karolina Muchova snapped U.S. Open champion Aryna Sabalenka’s 15-match win streak to shock her 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 in the China Open quarter-finals on Friday, while Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen beat Mirra Andreeva 5-7 6-0 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
Czech Republic’s Muchova, who has now beaten three-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka in their last three meetings, will face home favourite Zheng on Saturday, with Coco Gauff playing Paula Badosa in the other semi-final.
A double fault by Muchova put Sabalenka on the verge of winning the first set, but the world number 49 saved two set points to force a tiebreak, which she won.
Sabalenka bounced back in the second set, cruising to 6-2 as Muchova only managed to score half of her service points.
The Belarusian went 4-2 up in the third set but Muchova persisted through long rallies, getting the better of an exhausted Sabalenka on the fourth break point to make it 4-4.
Sabalenka did not win another point as the 28-year-old Muchova won the next two games to hand the world number two her first loss since August.
“Tennis is a roller-coaster… I just really tried to fight for every ball and it was worth it,” said Muchova, who was out for over three months after having wrist surgery in February.
The roller-coaster continued in the second quarter-final of the day as 17-year-old Andreeva and world number seven Zheng broke each other’s serves in over half the games, with the momentum swinging wildly between the two.
World number 22 Andreeva went 4-0 up in the first set but Zheng bounced back, winning the next four games. Andreeva won the first set, but fell to a bagel in the second as Zheng dominated.
The crowd roared for Zheng as she took a decisive 5-4 lead in the third set with her ninth break in the match, joining Muchova in the semis.
“Muchova is a smart opponent. I have practiced with her before… I’ll give my best,” Zheng said.
(This story has been corrected to say that Zheng beat Andreeva, in the headline)
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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