China Open: Karolina Muchova sees off Aryna Sabalenka to reach semi-finals in Beijing

Karolina Muchova resisted a fightback from number one seed Aryna Sabalenka to reach the semi-finals of the China Open.

Muchova will face either Russia’s Mirra Andreeva or China’s Qinwen Zheng in the last four after winning 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-4.

The Czech has won her last three matches against world number two Sabalenka, who was attempting to make it 16 wins on the bounce.

“Tennis is really a rollercoaster,” Muchova said.

“I had to fight for every ball and, in the end, it was worth it.

“I’ll try to recover as best as possible, I don’t have a day off [before the semi-final], and I’ll wait to see who my opponent is.”