Takes on Sabalenka next; Barty sets up Kerber meeting
It's been that kind of a year for the former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova. Dank and somewhat dismal. In her first tournament in January, she lost to the 292ndranked Anastasia Gasanova. In May, she was double-bageled in her only final of the season. In the year's first two majors, she didn't make it past the third round. And at No. 13, she's at her lowest ranking in five years.
On a rain-hit Tuesday at Wimbledon, however, the 29-year-old Czech reduced those stats to forgettable figures as she powered into her first semifinals at Church Road. Serve and rout was her ticket. The Czech rode on eight aces and 28 winners to put Swiss Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
"This means a lot, especially after not having many good weeks before Wimbledon," she said, adding, "It feels like a dream. I just believed that at some point I will find my game."
And she did. Pliskova, who won 30 of 36 points on her first serve, broke away in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. The Czech, seeded eighth, took the opener in 37 minutes when she broke Golubic in the eighth game, in the course of which the Swiss sent down a double fault, her first of the match, and followed it up with a forehand error.
Pliskova, making her ninth main draw appearance at Wimbledon, broke the world No. 66 Golubic in the second game of the second set to take charge of the match. She broke again in the eighth, shutting out her opponent much like she has the nagging questions that have crowded her.
Pliskova, who came into Wimbledon without a win on grass, having lost on her first outings in Berlin and Eastbourne, spoke of coping with negativity. "Former players would ask, what happened there? Why you are not playing that well?" said the Czech, who talks as fast as she plays. "I usually have an answer, but you are not always ready. You don't want to hear these things, whether it's true or not. Then of course, the internet. That's the biggest problem. Then one week I'm not in top 10, and it's like a huge drama."
In the semifinals, Pliskova will play second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Tunisia's Ons Jabeur.
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty was too good for fellow Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic, coming through 6-1, 6-3. In the semifinals, the top seed will play the 2018 champion Angelique Kerber, who also struggled in 2021 until she hit the grass. The German scored a 6-2, 6-3 win over Czech Karolina Muchova.
MEDVEDEV OUSTED
World No. 18 Hubert Hurkacz rallied from two-sets-to-one down to send the second-seeded Daniil Medvedev packing with a 2-6, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 result in the rain interrupted fourth-round clash. When play was halted on Court No. 2 on Monday, the score stood at 4-3 in the fourth set.
The match was continued on Centre Court on Tuesday when the 24-year-old Pole attacked relentlessly to make his first Grand Slam quarterfinals.
In the last eight, the sweet smiling Hurkacz will go up against his hero Roger Federer.
Late on Monday, the eight-time champion put out the 26th-ranked Italian Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 in a match where the 39-year-old got better with every set.
