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Czech tennis player Karolina Muchova defeated 2021 finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-2 in the French Open quarterfinal and booked herself a maiden spot in the final four on Parisian clay.
With a win in an all-unseeded Roland-Garros quarterfinal between two former Top 20 players returning from injury, Muchova reached the second Grand Slam semifinal of her career, following the 2021 Australian Open. An abdominal issue sidelined the Czech player for six months following the 2021 US Open, and at the Roland-Garros last year she sustained an ankle injury in the third round against Amanda Anisimova that saw her taken off the court in a wheelchair. Muchova, whose career-high ranking is No.19, had fallen to No.235 last August. But her comeback has gathered pace this year: she had reached two WTA 1000 quarterfinals in Dubai and Indian Wells, as well as the last 16 in Rome, to rise back to her current ranking of 43. Her overall 2023 record now stands at 24-7 On the other hand, Pavlyuchenkova missed seven months of action due to a knee injury last year and is ranked No.333 in the world. Muchova, who has dropped just one set en route to the last four, will face either No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka or former World No.3 Elina Svitolina in a bid to make her first Grand Slam final. --IANS bc/bsk ( 236 Words) 2023-06-06-17:36:06 (IANS)
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