Australian Open: Karolina Pliskova mounts comeback, stuns Serena in the QF

Seven-time former champion looked like she was on course to win her eighth Australian Open and 24th Grand Slam title but had other ideas.

The seventh seed made an unexpected comeback from *5-1 and four match points down to oust Williams 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a two-hour-10-minute long roller-coaster. At first, it was Pliskova who came out playing her aggressive best.

Showing her potency from the baseline, hitting her shots with power, she discomfited Williams long enough to pocket an early break in the opening set, and held it long enough to secure the set. Pliskovas first serve percentage throughout the set was 78%, whereas Williams could only manage 56%.

Pliskovas onslaught made Williams unusually tentative and rather than go after her own shots, Williams kept waiting for Pliskova to make errors, which did not happen that often in the set. Pliskova finished the set with two winners fewer than Williams 11 to 13, but also had fewer unforced errors as compared to her opponent 5 to 11.

The second set saw the first of the two momentum shifts of the match in Williams favour. Pliskova continued targetting towards Serenas serve helped her secure a break of serve in the fifth game of the set.

However, while she had been the one to hold her service games with relative ease, the Czech found her serve come under pressure in the following game as she tried to consolidate the break. Williams went on to break Pliskova in the sixth game and held her next two service games without any problems.

She had also gained her tempo and rhythm in the match, with her shots going for more winners than just outright errors. A second break of Pliskovas serve in the 10th game gave Williams the set and the much-needed equaliser for the match.

Williams dominate the start of the deciding set as she raced through, building a quick 5-1 lead. And, it was as she served for the the match in the sixth game that the second and most-decisive momentum shift happened in the match.

Foot fault was called on Williams first serve right when she had match point at 40-30. As the slightly distracted Serena, after having served for the point, made an attempt to turn for Pliskovas return, she rolled her ankle which compounded on her woes.

As it would turn out, it was also the point of no return for her. Pliskova saved the match point and went on break Williams serve, before holding her own service game. Williams served for the match for the second time in the set and as before, lost her serve, thereby bringing the set back on serve.

Pliskova faced three match points on her serve as she tried to level the score at five-all but saved all three with some gutsy play coupled with some error-ridden shot-making from Williams. And, just like that, in the mattter of minutes as Williams served in the set for the fourth time, she had gone from serving for the match to serving to stay in the match.

Like in the two preceding games, Williams was not able to serve it out and Pliskova had the chance to serve the match out, which she did, getting the win on her second match point after Williams found a way to save the first with a winner.

Pliskova finished the match with 32 winners, 22 fewer than Williams but had only 15 unforced errors as compared to Williams 37. For the match, Pliskova won 102 points to Williams 95. Pliskova will take on Osaka, who defeated Elina Svitolina in the first quarter-final played earlier on Wednesday.

Pliskova leads their head-to-head 3-2.