Karolina Pliskova’s chance of a lifetime. Will she challenge for the Grand Slam title?

Overlooked, underestimated, criticized. After many years outside the top 10, a slump in performance and a major results woe. Few people trusted Pliskova. But she managed to rediscover long-lost form at Wimbledon and reached the semi-finals for the first time in her career. There she will face Belarusian Sabalenka. Will the underrated Czech surprise her and play for her dream title at the All England Club?

Karolina Pliskova is one of the long-time mainstays of Czech tennis. She has won 16 titles. She has been a continuous member of the top 10 since 2016. In 2017, she even became world No. 1 for a few weeks. She achieved a lot of success, but the biggest one still eluded her.

Winning a grand slam. The most valuable trophy a tennis player can achieve. She often struggled at these tournaments and finished early. The only chance she had to win a Grand Slam trophy she didn’t take. At the 2016 US Open, after a great run, she made it all the way to the final against Kerber. There it was a great 3-set battle. Pliskova even led in the deciding set 3-1. However, she couldn’t hold that lead and didn’t win her dream title in the end.

She was unable to come close to this result in the following years, often finishing in the first week of the Big Four tournaments. In recent years, her career has stagnated. During the last 5 Grand Slams, her best finish was the 3rd round, and she also stopped doing well in other tournaments. Few believed that Pliskova could turn her Grand Slam dream into reality.

So far this season, she hasn’t done well either. Her tournament high was the final in Rome, where she suffered a terrible debacle at the hands of Swiatek. Otherwise, she has said goodbye to tournaments in the early rounds, often losing to opponents who were several levels worse.

But Wimbledon 2021 changed everything. That’s the beauty of tennis. All it takes is a few good matches and with a snap of the fingers everything can turn around. The line between success and failure is thin, and in women’s tennis it’s doubly so.

Pliskova had a tough opening draw. She had a match against the semifinalist of Rolland Garros 2021 – Slovenian Zidansek. The Czech didn’t start well, but eventually managed to turn the match around quite handily. After that, she also beat Vekičová, outplayed Martinsova in the Czech derby and advanced to the Grand Slam eight-finals after 2 years. These wins gave her a boost and it showed in her performance.

She easily defeated Samsonova in the eighth round and was also successful in the quarterfinals, where she took on Golubic. She improved her Wimbledon best by reaching the semi-finals. At the same time, she became only the 5th player to reach at least the semifinals at all Grand Slams.

Unfortunately, she’s also the only one without a Grand Slam trophy. What is the reason for K’s awakening? Pliskova? The Czech was mentally energized by her opening wins, her excellent serve helps her, she plays patiently, aggressively and doesn’t make too many mistakes. She is also benefiting from not being under pressure and from not having too many expectations placed on her.

Even in the semifinals, she can only surprise and will be the underdog. Her opponent will be Aryna Sabalenka. The number two player in the world and one of the biggest favourites for the title. The Belarusian has already won several valuable titles, but she hasn’t been very successful at Grand Slams. She only broke that curse at Wimbledon this year. Reaching the semi-finals is a career high. Sabalenka has a great serve, plays aggressively and can rely on a strong forehand.

It’s going to be a battle of the shots. Experience speaks for the Czech, while the current form and excellent performance speak for the Belarusian. Both players practice risky tennis, which is prone to a large number of unforced errors. The one who will be more accurate and better able to withstand the weight of the moment will probably advance.

This could be water on the mill for Pliskova, who is not easily swayed by moments like this. Sabalenka will be the favourite, but the question is how she will perform in her debut semi-final. Pliskova is certainly not without a chance.

She has played Sabalenka twice in her career and lost both duels. Tomorrow’s match is the perfect moment to right the ship. At 29 years old, Pliskova won’t have many more opportunities like this. This may be her last chance. Can the Czech make the most of it this time?

Source:: Wimbledon