Karolina Muchova, despite being visibly shaken by her ex-boyfriend’s presence during her second-round match at the US Open, managed to win against Sorana Cirstea. She later expressed her discomfort, stating he often appears where he shouldn’t be.
Czech tennis star and World No.13 Karolina Muchova had a disturbing experience during her 2nd round match of the women’s singles against Sorana Cirstea at the US Open 2025 on Thursday, August 28. Muchova defeated Cirstea in three sets in 7-6(0), 6-7(3), 6-4, to qualify for the third round of the New York Major.
Muchova’s quest for her maiden Grand Slam title has continued as he had another three-set battle against her compatriot Linda Noskova in the third round on Saturday, August 30, and qualified for the fourth round, where she will take on Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine on Monday, September 1. The 29-year-old will be aiming to maintain her momentum at Flushing Meadows as she chases a breakthrough Grand Slam title.
Karolina Muchova reached the semifinals of the US Open in the last two years, but she has yet to progress beyond that stage, marking this year’s campaign a crucial opportunity to break new ground.
Muchova’s ex-boyfriend’s presence makes her uncomfortable
Though Karlina Muchova managed to defeat Sorana Cirstea in the second round, Czechia was visibly unsettled by the presence of her ex-boyfriend in the stands of the Grandstand. The incident took place in the first set when Muchova was leading 4-1, and her focus shifted from the player’s box to the stands.
As soon as Muchova saw her former boyfriend, she was left visibly shaken and even broke into tears, forcing a brief pause in her rhythm, which enabled Cirstea to fight back before the Czech managed to take the opening set. A Czech Republic tennis star was spotted speaking to someone in the stands before wiping her tears and returning to serve.
The incident had an impact on her performance, as Sorana Cirstea managed to make a comeback in the match and took the second set before Karlina Muchova regained her composure in the decider to seal a hard-fought victory.
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Karolina Muchova’s performance in the second round was affected by the incident, but she still held her nerve to advance. However, the Czech tennis player carried on with her game into the third round, where she lost the opening set before going on to win the next two sets against Linda Noskova – 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, to seal her spot in the fourth round of her US Open campaign.
‘Appear at places where he shouldn’t be’
Speaking after the second round match, Karolina Muchova confirmed that it was her ex-boyfriend who was present at the stand, adding that he appears at places wherever she plays. The 29-year-old further stated she asked him to leave, but he did not do so before he left the stadium later.
“It’s not tennis-related, so I don’t like to talk about it. But my ex-boyfriend sat right next to my box. He likes to appear at places where he shouldn’t be, and where I am,” Muchova told the reporters.
“So that scared me a little bit. I asked him whether he could leave. At first, he didn’t, but then he left. It was difficult for me to focus on tennis at that moment,” she added.
Karolina Muchova was first shot to fame when she reached her first Grand Slam at the French Open in 2023, but lost to Iga Swiatek of Poland in a three-set thriller. Muchova will look to leave no stone unturned as she continues her quest for the maiden Major triumph at the US Open, where she reached the semifinal twice on the trot before.