WUHAN: Karolina Muchova set a tie-break record with a 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (4) win over Caty McNally on Wednesday, winning her first 10 breakers of the season.
Sixth seed Muchova lost six successive games and trailed 0-2 in the second set before recovering against the 70th-ranked qualifier. She then raced to a 5-0 lead in the first tie-break.
Diana Shnaider ended Muchova’s tournament by winning their round-of-16 match 7-5, 6-3.
Both matches took place at the Dongfeng · Voyah Wuhan Open, which uses the Optics Valley International Tennis Centre in China.
Wednesday’s victory made Muchova the first woman this century to begin a season with that many consecutive tie-break wins. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario won her opening nine in 2000; Maria Sakkari matched that sequence in 2020.
Muchova equalled their tally in the second set and passed it in the decider.
“Okay, it’s tiebreak, it’s my thing,” Muchova told reporters after Wednesday’s win. She explained that she tried to attack from the start of both breakers to build confidence.
Muchova said she had struggled to feel comfortable in the opening set. Breaking McNally’s serve helped her settle and swing more freely.
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Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) figures show that the result was her 14th three-set victory of 2026. She has never won more in one season.
Muchova has won eight matches this year after losing the opening set, more than in the previous two years combined. Her run includes tie-break victories over Katie Boulter and Naomi Osaka in Beijing.
(With additional input from WTA Tennis)
