Karolina Muchova was ready to put her body on the line for a place in the Wimbledon final. A maiden Grand Slam title could heal all past wounds when she takes on Czech compatriot Linda Noskova on Saturday.
Even as Muchova's surgically patched-up body went hurtling toward the turf after conjuring a showstopping dive volley to catch Coco Gauff off guard in their semifinal, she never lost sight of the ball.
So what if the shot had taken the racket out of her hands, or that the fall could once again damage a body that had already been put through the wringer with an assortment of ankle, abdominal, and wrist injuries?
That single-minded focus allowed Muchova to end Gauff's incredible run of living dangerously at this year's Wimbledon as she saved a match point in the third-set tiebreak to topple the American in a nerve-shredding 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (12-10) thriller.
All-Czech final
