Karolina Muchova outshines Belinda Bencic in straight sets

Karolina Muchova fires off a forehand serve during her round of 16 match at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis championships.

Karolina Muchova outmatched the competition at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships Wednesday. The Czech played a stronger level of offense against Belinda Bencic, who struggled to find the energy, going down 6-1, 6-4 on Court One at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.  

The Swiss star had a massive challenge right off the bat in Dubai, playing in the second-longest match of the year. Bencic went almost three and a half hours against Marta Kostyuk, running away with the final set comfortably. Muchova fared better in her second-round match against Sorana Cirstea, who she overcame a break against a top player in the competition. While the eighth seed carried a 2-0 series lead over the Czech, her fatigue played a factor in whether she could hold up in less than 24 hours.

The 26-year-old opened with a near-perfect service, only to see Bencic get into the game. The Czech held serve, then faced the eighth seed and what she brought to the court. Muchova responded with a strong service in the third, allowing Bencic a lone point. She then scored the break for a 3-1 lead on the Swiss and backed up the win on serve in the fifth. Muchova tallied the double break right before she sealed up the set with ease after 33 minutes. Three double faults and 14 unforced errors for Bencic were a problem to fix fast, but fatigue had made its impact.

The Swiss star left the court to try and regroup before Muchova opened the second set facing Bencic’s service. The eighth seed took the opening game with a stronger offense, allowing the Czech a point. The 26-year-old answered with a serve to love, but her opponent showed improvement. Bencic held to love in the third and tried to score a break in the fourth. Her efforts were challenged by Muchova, who didn’t want to give her a break back. After four breaks, the 26-year-old kept the score even but was aware that the competitive spirit in Bencic was alive.

Double faults ruined Bencic’s chances to defend her service game, handing Muchova a potential game-changer. She tallied a strong service game for the two-game buffer, winning 15 of the last 20 points played. Bencic tried to light a fire under her offense after saving a breakpoint. She forced deuce and held serve with forehand shots away from the Czech, putting herself a game down. Muchova suffered a setback on serve, handing Bencic the break that helped her level the score through eight games.

The Czech managed to gain a break back to become the first to reach 5-4 and serve for the match. She scored an ace in her quest to close out the set, scoring points on long returns from the Swiss. With two match points, Muchova ousted Bencic on a second attempt for an ace, ending the day in 1 hour and 25 minutes. It was her sixth ace of the day and with the first serve doing the heavy lifting, she could celebrate the upset.