Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Muchova and Brady advance to Australian Open semifinals

Czech tennis will sneak up on you. Pin one down, another pops up--just ask anyone who ever played them in Fed Cup competition. While you're keeping your eye on Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova, Karolina Muchova will toss one of them (in this case, Pliskova) out of the tournament and then reach the semifinals. 

Yesterday, Muchova--who had already beaten not just 6th seed Pliskova, but also Alona Ostapenko and 18th seed Elise Mertens--defeated world number 1 Ash Barty in the Australian Open quarterfinals. In doing so, she also dropped her first set of the tournament. 

Much will be said about Muchova's nine-minute MTO, taken after she got on the scoreboard very early in the second set (after dropping the first set 1-6). The Czech player had symptoms of heat illness and was treated for them--all within the rules--after which she proceeded to significantly lift her game, while Barty simultaneously lost the plot. Muchova, the 25th seed, defeated Barty 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Should such an MTO be permitted? That's a discussion that stands on its own, and is being held as I write this. Another question worth asking is: How could the MTO have so significantly thrown the world number 1 off of her game? So many questions.

What isn't in question is that Muchova is a fine all-court player who can adapt to the tactics of all sorts of opponents. She's fun to watch, and her Chris Evert-style body language is a bonus.

In yesterday's other quarterfinal, good friends Jen Brady (seeded 22nd) and Jessica Pegula faced off. Pegula took the first set, but then Brady cleaned up her game and emerged with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory. Jen Brady has been on a dramatic upward spiral for the last several months, and is clearly headed toward a higher ranking. And during this Australian Open, we were able to also witness Pegula's steady rise as a talent on the tour. When I saw her play in Charleston in 2019, I was impressed with what she had done to improve her game, and I look forward to seeing much more of her. 

In the previous quarterfinal matches, 3rd seed and champion Naomi Osaka defeated Hsieh Su-Wei in straight sets, and--in a much anticipated contest--10th seed Serena Williams defeated 3rd seed Simona Halep, also in straight sets.

(On playing the very tricky Hsieh, Osaka had remarked: "It's actually fun when I'm not really angry.")

In doubles, 3rd seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova will play 2nd seeds Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka for the title (if the Czechs win, I still want to see a repeat of the fabulous dance they did when they were juniors).

We already have some champions. Diede De Groot won the singles title when she defeated 2nd seed Yui Kamiji 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 . Top seeds DeGroot and Aniek Van Koot defeated 2nd seeds Kgothatso Montjane and Lucy Shuker 6-4, 6-1. 

These victories (especially that close one against Van Koot) have to bring some relief to De Groot, who had been off her game for a while and notably, off her serve. Her double victory in Melbourne marks the sixth time that De Groot has swept both the singles and doubles field at a major event.

In other news, 2020 champion Sofia Kenin, who lost to Kaia Kanepi in the second round, underwent an appendectomy Monday in a Melbourne hospital.

Here is the singles semifinal draw:

Karolina Muchova (25) vs. Jennifer Brady (22)
Naomi Osaka (3) vs. Serena Williams (10)

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