Though Ashleigh Barty’s title win deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated, Karolina Pliskova amazing run to the grand slam final should not be rendered forgotten
Karolina Pliskova lost. But she did not go down without a fight. In her second grand slam final, Karolina Pliskova ensured to take the world number one to the limits. The Czech Republic player bounced back after a rough first game of the opening set by winning the second.
However, Barty fired back to take the final set comprehensively again to soak into an emotional celebration.
Karolina Pliskova’s run to the Wimbledon 2021 final has indeed been a memorable one. As the eighth seed player, Pliskova did not drop a set until the semi-finals against Aryna Sabalenka. But taking into account her first-round exit at the Eastbourne International before Wimbledon, the 29-year old has enjoyed an incredible journey.
Karolina Pliskova Ranking And Family
The world number 13 entered the tournament as the defending champion. Karolina Pliskova hails from Louny and has an identical twin sister, Kristyna, two minutes older and is a Tennis athlete too.
Pliskova presently stays in Monte Carlo and tied the knot to her boyfriend Michal Hrdlicka in 2018. From her Instagram, it seems like Karolina loves travelling and is a fitness enthusiast.
Karolina Pliskova’s initial years and coming through to the big stage at the grand slam
After winning the 2010 Australian Open junior’s finals, Karolina Pliskova played her first grand slam in the 2012 French Open. But as a qualifier, Pliskova lost in the first round to Marion Bartoli in straight sets. Nevertheless, the following year, a steady rise came along as the 29-year old lifted her first WTA title.
The Czech Republic player inflicted defeat on several seeded players and finally beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands in straight sets. That same year in October, Pliskova also won her inaugural WTA crown in the doubles division alongside sibling Kristyna. As a result, the pair became the first twins to win a doubles title together on the tour.
2014 saw Pliskova winning the Hong Kong Open, followed by a victory in Linz to take her third WTA title. As a result, the 29-year old finished the year as the world number 24. The only notable achievement in 2015 was winning the Fed Cup. However, she reached her first grand slam final in 2016 during the US Open event.
Unfortunately, Germany’s Angelique Kerber handed her a loss despite emerging victorious in the second set and leading 3-1 in the third. Pliskova reached the grand slam semi-final for the second time, but could not progress to the decider on this occasion. Simona Halep defeated her 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, denying her a number one ranking.
Nevertheless, later in July, Pliskova was able to reach the summit of the WTA rankings. By doing so, she was the sixth player to attain the number one ranking without winning a grand slam. Also, the 29-year old became the first woman’s player from the Czech Republic to accomplish the feat.
Karolina Pliskova’s mixed results in the next three years
In the next two years, the 29-year old kept elevating her status in the grand slam quarter-finals. Pliskova reached the US Open and Australian Open quarter-finals in 2018, followed by the semi-final of the former in 2019. 2020 remained a sedate year for Karolina; however, 2021 seems to be the start of her resurgence.
Pliskova could not do much in the French Open singles, eliminated by Sloane Stephens in the second round. But she teamed up with her twin sister to reach her first grand slam quarters in the doubles division. Eventual champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova ended their run in straight sets.
First Wimbledon final and second grand slam final defeat
At Wimbledon 2021, Karolina Pliskova became only the sixth active player amongst females to reach all the grand slam finals. The eighth seed joined Serena and Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep and Kim Clijsters. The final seemed to be a one-sided affair until Pliskova bounced back in the second set.
The Czechoslovakian’s movement was at a minimum in the first set and it was not until the fifth game that Pliskova got her first victory. Pliskova’s long forehand across the court that gifted Ashleigh Barty the first set comfortably 6-3. Barty’s intensity gave away in the second set, paving the way for Pliskova’s comeback.
However, she squandered three chances to lead 6-5 by committing a series of unforced errors when Pliskova needed only one point to do so. It allowed the Australian to march ahead; however, Barty also committed errors, forcing a tiebreak. After some back and forth thrilling Tennis, the 29-year old’s backhand just near the baseline helped her pulled level.
Nevertheless, there was not much to choose between the two in the final set. A weak backhand hitting the net when Barty had the Championship point lifted the Australian to a second major title. What followed was Barty soaking into tears.
Though the scores might not reflect so, it was a reasonably close match than experts had anticipated. Barty has transformed into a heavyweight in the sport. But it would be naive not to acknowledge how far Karolina Pliskova has come. She remains not too far from clinching her first grand slam.
We envisage her getting her hands around a glistening trophy in the impending time.