Despite being sidelined for much of last year, Karolina Muchova picked up where she left off at the US Open. The 2023 semifinalist returned to the last eight with a 6-3, 6-3 win over No. 5 seed Jasmine Paolini in 69 minutes.

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This time last year, Muchova’s run into the semifinals was the culmination of a rare extended period of good health. It was the first time she had reached multiple Grand Slam semifinals in a single season, following her first major final at Roland Garros, and she reached her highest career ranking of No. 8.

But it was also the last time the Czech stepped onto a court for the next ten months as she underwent wrist surgery. In the on-court interview after her win, she described it as the “worst and most serious injury” of a career riddled with such injuries. Muchova returned to the court in June and this year’s US Open is only the sixth tournament of her comeback.

Muchova, now ranked 52nd in the world, has yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows. The closest she came to winning was in her second round match against Naomi Osaka, where she held off a three-set deficit in the second set. Her win over Paolini is her first top-five victory since defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the 2023 Cincinnati semifinals and her seventh overall. It puts her into her sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Slow start, quick end: In her on-court interview, Muchova admitted that she was nervous at the start of the match – a situation that was not helped by the wind. She made a number of uncharacteristic mistakes at the start – not only in her shots but also in her movements, stumbling a few times and making slow progress.

Muchova had won 49 of 65 points at the net at the start of the match, but even her volleys failed her in the early stages and she fell behind 3-1.

But two games later, the 28-year-old found her rhythm in her own way. Slices, drop shots and finally an excellent reflex volley helped her break against Paolini and equalize at 3:3.

After that, Muchova was in control. Now and then she showed another of her typical sharp shots, such as the fine drop volley with which she ended a game of cat and mouse at the net. But she was also rock solid in the basics: after falling behind 1:3 in the first set, she only conceded five more points on serve, and only two in the entire second set.

Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist Paolini fought bravely, as she has done all year, to lead the tour in Grand Slam match wins in 2024. But she could only muster 10 winners to Muchova’s 17, and her reliable forehand began to let her down in the home stretch.

As for Muchova’s net statistics, she was again able to quickly correct the slip-up at the beginning of the match, winning 11 of her 14 net points, giving her a total of 60 out of 79 points in the tournament.

Next: Muchova will be looking to reach a second consecutive US Open semifinal against either No. 22 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia or former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. She leads Haddad Maia 3-0 in head-to-head matches, despite never having played Wozniacki.