Historic US Open quarterfinals for Czech tennis as four players reach the last eight
Czech tennis is celebrating a historic achievement at the US Open, as four players — Barbora Krejčíková, Markéta Vondroušová, Karolína Muchová, and Jiří Lehečka — all reached the quarterfinals of the season’s final Grand Slam over the past two days.
Three Czech players had already booked their places in the last eight on Sunday, giving fans a night to remember. The first to advance was Jiří Lehečka. Seeded No. 20, the Mladá Boleslav native overcame French veteran Adrian Mannarino in four sets (7-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2), reaching the last eight of a Grand Slam for the second time in his career.
This is what he told Czech Radio after the match:
“It means a lot to me to win four best-of-five matches. That already takes some consistency, you need to put in solid performances, and so far I’ve been able to do that, so it definitely means a lot. Being in the last eight at a Slam is always great.”
Next up for Lehečka is world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, the 2022 champion in New York. Although he won’t be the favourite, Lehečka can take confidence from having beaten the Spaniard earlier this season in Doha.
Unquestionably the most thrilling match of the US Open round of 16 was that between Barbora Krejčíková and American Taylor Townsend. After dropping the first set 1-6 in under half an hour and falling behind 1-3 in the second, few believed she could turn things around, especially with the crowd heavily against her.
But the 2021 Roland Garros and 2024 Wimbledon champion showed remarkable resilience, saving eight match points before completing an extraordinary three-set win (1-6, 7-6, 6-3) after more than three hours on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“I don’t remember ever turning around such a lost match as this one and so dramatic too, with so many match points, in this kind of atmosphere. I’ll probably rank it very high among the matches I’ve played and the ones I’ll look back on,” she said.
Krejčíková will now face world No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals, another formidable US opponent.
Markéta Vondroušová also booked her spot in the last eight, defeating Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the No. 9 seed, in three sets (6-4, 5-7, 6-2). In a match between two former Wimbledon winners, Vondroušová played her best in the decisive moments to clinch the victory. She now faces world No. 1 and defending US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in the next round.
Joining them on Monday, Karolína Muchová, a two-time New York semifinalist, overcame Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-7(0), 6-3 despite a medical timeout for back issues, setting up a quarterfinal clash against Naomi Osaka.
Czechs are also enjoying success in doubles. In the men’s doubles, Tomáš Macháč and Matěj Vocel caused an upset by defeating the second-seeded Salvadoran-Croatian pair Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić 5-7, 7-6, 7-5.
In women’s doubles, Kateřina Siniaková, alongside American Taylor Townsend, reached the quarterfinals by defeating Camila Osorio and Yuan Yue 6-2, 6-2. The top-seeded pair has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
No matter what the quarterfinal results will be, Czech tennis has already made history at this year’s US Open.
