Tennis: 'Dream come true' as Linette stuns Pliskova to make Australian Open semi

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Unseeded Magda Linette marched into her first Grand Slam semi-final on Wednesday and said it was a "dream come true" after stunning former world number one Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 7-5 at the Australian Open.

Linette continued flying the flag for Poland after the shock exit of world number one Iga Swiatek, taking 1hr 27min to set up a clash with Aryna Sabalenka or Donna Vekic for a place in Saturday's final.

"I'm so emotional, I can't really believe it," Linette said. "It's a dream come true. I'm super grateful and happy. Thank you for cheering and supporting, I really needed this. 

"So we keep going. I don't want to get too excited because we are still in the tournament," added the world number 45, who will break into the top 30 for the first time thanks to her exploits in Melbourne. 

There was plenty of on-court history between the two 30-year-olds, having met nine times before with the Czech holding the advantage.

Pliskova, the 30th seed, won six of their first seven meetings up to 2017.

But last year she required a final set tie-break to win at the US Open before Linette turned the tables, winning 6-4, 6-1 at the Billie Jean King Cup. 

It was Linette's first last-eight match at this level, but you wouldn't have known it as she coolly recovered from being an early break down against the big-serving Czech to take the first set in 35 minutes.

"I definitely stayed composed at the beginning because she had a really good break at the very start of the match," said Linette.

"I knew how tough it was going to be to break her back, so I just stayed really composed and I'm really happy that when I had my chance I took it.

"I'm glad that I managed to serve it out and then later on, when I had the opportunity to break her again, I took my chances."

Pliskova had by far the greater experience in Slams and was making her fourth appearance in the Australian quarter-finals.

She needed it to hold on in the second set at 3-3 when facing two break points.

The 6ft 1in (1.86m) tall Pliskova had swept into the last eight without dropping a set, largely on the back of serving 28 aces, including 12 in her last-eight romp past China's Zhang Shuai. 

But she managed only seven in a stuttering display against Linette, committing a massive 36 unforced errors to her opponent's 16.

The decisive moment came on Pliskova's serve at 5-5 in the second set. 

The Czech dished up two double faults at 15-15 and followed with a forehand into the net before Linette served out for the biggest win of her career.

"I will never forget this," said Linette. "That's, you know, the first time ever I'm breaking through. This will stay with me for life."

Agence France-Presse

Kuznetsova edges Pliskova in thriller to reach WTA semis

SINGAPORE (AFP) — Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova produced another extraordinary comeback to win her second straight match at the WTA Finals on Wednesday, sealing a place in the semi-finals.

Just two days after she saved a match point to defeat the defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska, Kuznetsova again rallied back from the brink to beat US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova 3-6 6-2 7-6 (8-6) in a heart-stopper at Singapore’s Indoor Stadium.

Kuznetsova still has another round-robin match to play on Friday against Garbine Muguruza but is already assured of finishing top of the White Group standings after Muguruza was beaten 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 by Radwanska in Wednesday’s late match.

Muguruza is out of the running for the semis after losing her first two matches, leaving Pliskova and Radwanska to battle it out on Friday to see who else goes through with Kuznetsova from the group.

With sweat pouring from her face and her muscles aching after she had run herself ragged for more than two hours, the 31-year-old Kuznetsova triumphed through sheer willpower and nerves of steel.

“I play with my heart. I always do,” Kuznetsova said. “But maybe I’m starting to believe a little bit more than before. I just hang in there more.

“Some things get together and you get confidence. I see opponents fear me more than before because I win matches, I fight, and I’ll be there. It doesn’t matter if I play like crap and I’m sore, I will just be there.”

Pliskova, seven years younger than Kuznetsova but with ice in her veins as well after saving a match point to beat Muguruza on Monday, looked poised to end Kuznetsova’s inspired run when she recovered from 4-1 down in the deciding third set to lead 6-5.

Relentless

But the towering Czech squandered her chance to serve out the match, hitting a string of unforced errors as she tried to end the contest quickly, as the relentless Kuznetsova broke back and forced a tiebreaker.

The match was still in the balance when Pliskova saved three successive match points to draw level at 6-6 in the tiebreaker when the more experienced Kuznetsova regained her composure and won the next two points to seal victory.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Pliskova said. “She’s won two Grand Slams, so it’s not someone who just came up.

“She is very strong woman and she can really play tennis. She has a tough game.”

With Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova both absent from the prestigious end-of-season championship, Kuznetsova has emerged as the unlikely headline act of the $7 million tournament, restricted to the world’s top eight players.

She defied the odds just to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 2009, only sneaking into the elite field after winning the Kremlin Cup in Moscow on Saturday, then hopped straight on a plane and made the long flight to Southeast Asia.

Jet-lagged when she arrived, she seemed to be heading towards defeat in her first match with Radwanska when she asked the umpire for a pair of scissors and began cutting her own hair during a change of ends.

She went on and won the match as footage of the impromptu haircut went viral on social media, winning Kuznetsova a legion of new fans, but upsetting her regular hairstylist.

“I took the headband off and I was like, it looks weird,” Kuznetsova said. “So I made a picture and I sent it to my hair cutter. He was like, ‘I’m going to kill you’.”

source: sports.inquirer.net