Rampant Czechs set up United Cup semi-final against United States | Tennis News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In a commanding performance, Karolina Muchova secured a straight-set victory over Jasmine Paolini, propelling the Czech Republic past Italy on Friday and into a United Cup semi-final clash with the United States.
The upcoming semi-finals in Sydney will see Kazakhstan face defending runners-up Poland, spearheaded by women’s world number two Iga Swiatek.
Following a severe wrist injury that sidelined her for 10 months until last summer, Muchova demonstrated her readiness for the forthcoming Australian Open.
The world number 22 Czech displayed superiority over the fourth-ranked Paolini, securing a 6-2, 6-2 victory to advance her team towards the semi-finals.

A crucial extended fourth game in the second set, lasting over 10 minutes, saw Muchova maintain her serve before achieving a love break for a 4-1 advantage.
This victory extended Muchova’s perfect record against Paolini to 5-0.
“I really wanted to bring a point to the team so I was trying to stay focused,” Muchova said.
“Jasmine is an unbelievable player. It was a really tough match. I knew I had to go until the end.”

Tomas Machac followed with an impressive performance in the men’s singles, defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-2 in just 54 minutes.
This victory secured an insurmountable 2-0 lead for the Czech Republic in the quarter-final.
Machac, ranked 25th globally, remarked he “was playing like Novak (Djokovic)”.
“This is the highest I can play. I’m really happy I managed to play this kind of match today,” he said.
“I was surprised how great I played with no mistakes. It was the key to the match for sure.”
The Czech team will next face the United States, represented by Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz, competing for a spot in Sunday’s final.
The Australian Open, opening Grand Slam of the year, commences in Melbourne on January 12.