Tennis: Karolina Muchova gets career's first win over Coco Gauff at Stuttgart Grand Prix 2026

Czechia's Karolina Muchova celebrated a career's first win over Coco Gauff on Friday (17 April) after falling to the USA tennis star in all six of their previous meetings.

The world No. 12 beat her higher-seeded opponent 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the quarter-final of the Stuttgart Tennis Grand Prix 2026 and now advances to the semi-final against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina on Saturday.

"She’s obviously one of the best athletes, one of the best tennis players. I didn’t have great matches in the past against her so I’m really glad I pulled out the first win against Coco," Muchova said on the court after the match. "It was a great fight and I’m just so happy that I finally beat her."

World No. 3 Gauff last played Muchova less than a month ago when she beat the Czech player at the 2026 Miami Open in straight sets on a hard court. Muchova only won two games in that semi-final match, but it was a very different dynamic between the two on the courts in Stuttgart.

Facing Gauff on clay for the first time, Muchova took advantage of her rival's double-fault and turned the momentum in her favour at the 2-1 mark.

Gauff's 13 unforced errors further helped Muchova to a confidence-boosting 6-3 win in the first set.

While the two-time Grand Slam winner was able to rally and take back the second set, Muchova sealed the victory with her strong service skills for a 6-3 triumph in the third.

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