World No. 3, Wimbledon winner and defending champion of last year’s final at the Australian Open, Karolína Plíšková was unexpectedly troubled. In the first set, however, she did not convert three set points and eventually fell after sets 6:7, 4:6. The experienced Czech is still praised.
“Karólína played excellently, especially in the first set, she moved excellently, placed her shots perfectly. She went from being a favorite to a statistic,” Eurosport commentator Barbara Schettová praised the Czech tennis player.
Rather than a tough fight, the tennis world expected an unequivocal victory for the hot Jelena Rybakinová.
However, Plíšková surprised and the winner, whom even Martina Navrátilová considers to be the biggest favorite this year, was visibly relieved after the battle.
“It was a very difficult match for me today. Karolína played really well, such a first round is not easy at all and I am very happy that I managed it and survived the first set,” said the native of Moscow right on the court of the Rod Laver Arena.
Pliskova was also praised by the tennis magazine Tennis.com. “She had a lot to do with the fact that excellent tennis was played, full of extremely high-quality strokes,” he wrote.
The 31-year-old Czech won the first eight balls of the entire match and put immense pressure on Rybakin. It culminated in the tie-break of the opening set, where Plíšková led 5:2 and then 6:3. But Rybakinova had a stronger hand when deflecting set balls. She got out of trouble and in the second set she raised her performance just above the Czech player.
Before she had to bow, Plíšková managed to avoid two match points in the last game. The latter thanks to absolutely phenomenal anticipation and reaction. Everyone in the arena already thought it was over, but the Czech made the match even more dramatic and enjoyed the standing ovation with a winning gesture and a smile on her face.
Despite a sympathetic performance, her fall down the rankings will continue. After ten years in Melbourne, he will miss the third round, he will not defend a significant portion of the points for last year’s quarter-finals, and he will fall to eighth in the world ranking.
“I was sad about the unconverted set points, the first set was important. Unfortunately, in the tie-break at 6:4 and 6:5, I didn’t get the first serve even once. Of course, it was possible to win anyway, but it was more difficult. On the one hand, I’m glad that I was able to keep up with her like that. I’m sorry for the second loss because I had a chance,” Plíšková was quoted as saying by the website Tenisovýsvět.cz.
Watch a compilation of the best moments of the match:
Editing of Karolína Plíšková’s match against Jelena Rybakinová. | Video: Youtube.com
