Karolina Muchova likes to “play a game, have more fun, not just grind back forehands, backhands”

NEW YORK—On most days at the US Open, it takes a little time for the stands to fill up in the second-largest arena, Louis Armstrong Stadium. With the ride to Queens and the lines to enter the grounds, it’s not easy for even the most determined early-bird fans to plant themselves in a seat by 11 A.M.

On Labor Day morning, though, there was hardly one to be had in the general-admission upper deck, and the all-reserved lower deck filled in not long after. Part of the reason was that this was where the morning’s only singles match was being played. But another part was that it featured Jasmine Paolini.

New York tennis fans love their Italians, and after seeing her smiling face and winning game so much at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this summer, they came out in force to root for the 5’4’’ spark plug over the first week. That included tennis’ most fashionable fan, Anna Wintour, who was photographed with Paolini last week, and who made a rare trek out to Armstrong on Monday morning to see her play.

While most of the fans in the stadium came to see Paolini, what they got instead was a big dose of her opponent, Karolina Muchova. After an erratic start which saw her go down an early break, Muchova played lights out tennis as only she can.

The 28-year-old Czech showed off the varied, nuanced, all-court style that has always made her a favorite of old-school fans. She moved Paolini up with drop shots, then lobbed over her head. She darted in behind her serves and angled her first volleys away. She took Paolini’s pace and redirected it with more of her own. She transitioned from baseline to net effortlessly—almost invisibly. And she did it all without making a sound or seeming to break a sweat. You never would have known that she was feeling a little extra tinge of anxiety.

“I was a little bit nervous today,” Muchova admitted after her 6-3, 6-3 win. “I don’t even know why, but it was kind of a weird match. I had a weird feeling in my whole body whole match.”

“But yeah, I’m glad that I won.”

Muchova’s style of play became the subject of unwanted attention last week, when Chris Evert said of her, “She plays like a guy. She wants to play like a guy.”

Ons Jabeur took issue with the statement, Muchova said it wasn’t true, and Evert apologized. In truth, Muchova’s game, with its mix of finesse and forward motion, is a throwback to the way tennis was played by both genders until the turn of the century. For Muchova, it’s a way, first and foremost, to have more fun on the court.

“I can’t tell if it’s unique, but yeah, I just like to change it up,” Muchova said. “I like to do what I do basically going to the net and actually play a game, you know. Have more fun, not just grind back forehands, backhands.”

“It’s how I see the game. It’s how I like to play it.”

Being able to play tennis at all is enough for Muchova right now. Her career has been haunted by injuries. The latest came last year, after she reached the US Open semifinals, when she hurt her wrist and had to undergo surgery. She was out for nearly 10 months, until this year’s grass season. Now she’s in the quarterfinals, she has wins over Paolini and Naomi Osaka, and she hasn’t dropped a set. She even pulled off what may go down as the shot of the tournament, a leaping, behind-the-back lob that somehow won her a point.

So far in New York, Muchova seems to have been the beneficiary of her own lack of match readiness, because it also left with few expectations or anxiety about how she would do.

“I came to the tournament in different position, I would say,” Muchova said. “Not that many matches played. It was my second tournament on the hard courts. Now playing few matches, I feel like I’m building up the game. I feel better each day on court.”

“I’m just thinking about the match I’m going to play and trying to be prepared as best as possible. Then we’ll see how far I can go.”

Feeling better, and playing better. The fans in Armstrong today stuck with Paolini, but they had to tip their caps to Muchova, too. One of these days, she’ll stay healthy long enough to win a tournament like this, and become the fan favorite she should be.