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Muchova Survives Osaka Thriller After Nine Match Points to Reach Beijing Quarter-Finals Karolina Muchova survived a dramatic battle with former world number one Naomi Osaka on Tuesday to book her place in the quarter-finals of the China Open in Beijing. The Czech seventh seed eventually defeated Osaka 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(9-7) after a contest lasting almost three hours. Muchova needed nine match points before finally securing victory in an extraordinarily tense deciding set. Osaka Pushes Muchova to the Limit The Japanese star made the stronger start, opening up a 4-1 advantage in the first set. Muchova gradually found her rhythm, however, using changes of pace and her all-court game to fight her way back. She turned the set around and eventually claimed it 7-5. Osaka responded emphatically in the second set. The former world number one dropped just one game as she levelled the match at one set apiece. A Dramatic Deciding Set Osaka again moved ahead in the third, establishing a 3-1 lead. Muchova recovered the break and eventually reached match point while Osaka was serving at 4-5. The Czech player had five opportunities to finish the match at that stage, but Osaka produced some of her best tennis under pressure and saved all of them. The deciding set therefore went to a tiebreak. Muchova had three more chances to close out the contest in the breaker, but Osaka continued to resist. At 7-7, Muchova finally created the decisive opening and completed the victory with a winning backhand volley. A Match of Tiny Margins The numbers reflected just how competitive the encounter was. Osaka produced 11 aces and finished the match having won more total points, but Muchova was able to win the crucial moments. The Czech also committed more than 50 unforced errors during the contest. Muchova admitted afterwards that she was shaking during the final stages. She said she was simply trying to play each match point as it came and acknowledged that the match could have gone either way. “I got a bit lucky today,” Muchova said, describing the final stages as extremely close. Quarter-Final Awaits The victory sends Muchova into the last eight in Beijing, where she will face fellow Czech Nikola Bartunkova. Bartunkova advanced to the quarter-finals after defeating Austria's Sinja Kraus, setting up an all-Czech encounter. For Muchova, the victory extends an impressive run of form following her recent Billie Jean King Cup success in Shenzhen. For Osaka, meanwhile, the defeat ends another strong run at a major WTA 1000 event, despite producing some outstanding tennis and pushing Muchova to the limit. The Czech star now has another opportunity to move closer to the China Open title, but after such a demanding fourth-round battle, she will know that she escaped by the narrowest of margins.