QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 13, 2026

Karolina Muchova

Press Conference

K. MUCHOVA/M. Sakkari

3-6, 6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Karolina, congratulations. Welcome to the Doha final. Talk about the match and how you felt on court today.

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: It was really tough battle today, I would say. Maria played, I think this week I was watching her, very, very good tennis. She made it very tough. I was just hoping to get a chance in the second set to get a break back, and fight for every ball to get a chance, and it happened.

I was just fighting, honestly, through each point to get the win in the second set. And then, yeah, I was able to run off a little bit in the third. I made an early break and I finished it.

Q. It really felt like there was a huge, obviously a huge switch in the second and the third set. Were there any in-match adjustments that you did make to make that momentum shift to carry it away into the third set?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: I tried to play a little more aggressive, I would say. I tried to change it up more. I wanted to go more for the returns, go for more lines. I think that it paid off because then we didn't play such long rallies, which I think she's striving at, and I was able to get some faster points on my side.

Q. You're having such a strong start of the year after last year was complicated with everything. I'm curious, what do you attribute it to? Have you changed anything this winter, the way you are approaching the game? Is Sven trying to make you play, not differently, but more on your strengths? Why do you think you're playing so good at the start of the year?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Well, the first thing is I'm playing, which is already an achievement for me. I had a good pre-season. Yeah, of course, Sven is a new member of the team, and he has brought a new energy to the team and new things.

I would say it's everything. I think I felt pretty good end of the last season, and I was able to have some proper rest and then continue working and building something. In the past for me it was always I was kind of injured or I had to take a break. Now I could just continue the work. I think that would be probably the case, just, you know, keep on quietly working and building my strength. And then, yeah, adding Sven to the team improving some more things, and then just doing my thing, yeah.

Q. Talking about the final tomorrow, obviously you'll play Vicky Mboko. Your thoughts on playing her, I believe it's the first time you're going to play her on tour, just the prospect of the final tomorrow.

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: Yeah, it's going to be the first time. I watch her here and she's playing incredible. I know her since last year, probably all of us, she has this boom. I think she's an incredible, strong athlete. So it's for sure going to be a very tough battle.

Q. This is your third WTA 1000 final. What would it mean to win a WTA 1000 title for you personally?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: I'm honestly not thinking of that (laughing). I'm going to play the final and see how that goes. I'm not really thinking what it would mean for me. Obviously every win is great, and it would mean a lot, but it's so far that I'm not really thinking of that.

Q. Do you think we're making too much about experience? Because if you think about you against Victoria in the final, okay you have so much more experience than her. But at the same point, she's so young, she's swinging freely without pressure. Do you think experience is really helping in those big events, or you prefer to have the innocence of an 18- or 19-year-old?

KAROLINA MUCHOVA: I have no idea. I mean, both is I think great. I can take something from my experience. She, as you mentioned, she's swinging freely. She won a 1000 tournament, I didn't, so maybe she is more experienced than I am. So it's tough point of view. I don't know, again, it's going to be very tough.