Wimbledon 2021: Karolina Pliskova too good for Aryna Sabalenka, reaches her second grand slam final

Wimbledon 2021: Karolina Pliskova too good for Aryna Sabalenka, reaches her second grand slam final

Karolina Pliskova

In a display of power, Karolina Pliskova got the better of Aryna Sabalenka on centre court to storm into her maiden Wimbledon final. Both Sabalenka and Pliskova were playing their first Wimbledon semifinal but didn’t show any signs of nerves. Eventually, Pliskova came from a set down to beat the second seed in three sets 5-7,6-4,6-4.

Both the players started the match pretty well on serve. Particularly Sabalenka, she was serving very quick and landing most of her first serves in place. Pliskova too tried to compensate from the baseline. With the help of a late break, Sabalenka took the first set away 7-5. But Pliskova wasn’t done yet. She raised the level of her game and bettered her serve. She was taking command of the baseline shots and giving Sabalenka a hard time. The second seed tried her best to match the Czech but eventually got broke and lost the second set 4-6.

Pliskova attacked Sabalenka’s backhand in the third set and rightly so, the Belarussian was caught napping. The Czech 8th seed manages to get a break which proved to be decisive. Despite Sabalenka serving well for the remainder of the set, she wasn’t able to get the break back and hence lost the set 4-6.

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‘I didn’t pass the fourth round and now I’m in the final so I think it’s incredible achievement’: Karolina Pliskova

Karolina Pliskova
Karolina Pliskova

In the on court interview, Pliskova acknowledged her win and gave credit to Sabalenka. She said: “Till now I didn’t pass the fourth round and now I’m in the final so I think it’s incredible achievement. I think it was and amazing match today from both of us. So many chances in the first set, got a bit frustrated because I didn’t make it but she was serving unbelievable today. She was in the semifinal so she had to play some good tennis so a lot of credit to her but super happy that I managed to stay in there and find a way to win.”

She added: “It’s tough to enjoy because she’s playing so fast that sometimes you even don’t have time to think about what you want to do. But I think there were some good rallies in the end. She’s super powerful. I think it was super important to stay in the game and stay focused and that’s what I did. It was close but super happy about the win.”

Pliskova had a terrible build up to Wimbledon where she lost in the first rounds at Berlin and Eastbourne. She spoke about the importance of her team during tough times and thanked them.

“It’s difficult if you’re not doing well. But I try to stay positive.. my team is super positive, thanks to them, I managed to stay calm and positive and trust my game because I’ve had success in past. I don’t forget to play tennis if I lose a couple of times in the first round. But I’m proud about us and a thank you to my team for bring super positive,” she concluded.

Karolina Pliskova will face top seed Ash Barty in the final on Saturady.

Also read: Wimbledon 2021: Ash Barty cruises into her second grand slam final with a win over Angelique Kerber