Watching Karolína Muchová glide and crush her way to the big title her tennis had so long promised, but never delivered, laid bare the beautiful contradictions of the sport. It can look effortless, as the 29-year-old mostly did through Sunday’s 6-4, 7-5 win over Victoria Mboko at the Qatar Open, but it is not. It can look natural, as a WTA 1000 title does on such a talented player’s resumé, but it is not. One moment she is retrieving every ball; the next moment she is cracking every second shot for a winner no matter where she hits it from. Muchová won the first set relatively serenely.

Source: International New York Times February 17, 2026 07:11 UTC