Czech tennis star says ex-boyfriend in US Open crowd startled her during match

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Czech tennis star Karolina Muchova needed to rally against her Romanian opponent, Sorana Cîrstea in the second round of the U.S. Open.

Muchova was down 4-1 in the second set on Thursday when she needed to briefly halt the match. She began to get emotional and admitted after the match it was because she saw her ex-boyfriend sitting in the crowd.

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Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, reacts after defeating Soraya Cirstea, of Romania, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in New York.  (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

She rallied to defeat Cîrstea in three sets. 

"Well… it wasn’t tennis-related," she told reporters after the match, via The Athletic. "So l don’t really like talking about it. But opposite my bench, my ex-boyfriend sat down. He sometimes shows up at places where he shouldn’t be. That startled me a bit. I told him to leave, he didn’t, but later he did go. It was hard to focus in that moment."

Muchova hadn’t mentioned the man to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) or the United States Tennis Association (USTA) before the tournament began and hasn’t done so after Thursday’s incident, The Athletic reported.

Tennis players can request certain spectators to be blacklisted from ticket sales or being able to receive credentials. An alleged stalker of Emma Raducanu appeared at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. The man was blacklisted from purchasing tickets for Wimbledon.

Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, returns a shot during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in New