It was a day of upsets here at the Brisbane International as two top five players were kicked out of the tournament after Dominika Cibulkova and world number one Angelique Kerber lost their respective matches. Meanwhile, Garbine Muguruza finally progressed to her first WTA semifinal since she did so in last year’s Cincinnati Masters. After the fifth day of action here in Brisbane was concluded, the semi-final line-ups of both singles and doubles competition were decided.
Cornet runs off with upset
It was a nervy start for Alize Cornet as Dominika Cibulkova earned two break points in the opening game of the match, but she maintained her composure to hold her serve. It was a familiar situation in the Frenchwoman’s next service game as Cibulkova once again earned two break points, but once again, Cornet held her nerves to prevent the Slovakian from running away with the set. Cibulkova would rue these missed opportunities as she lost her serve as soon as the next game, giving Cornet a 4-1 lead in the set. Cornet almost had a chance to clinch the first set easily as she earned break point opportunities once again, but this time, it was the Slovakian who saved the break points to hold serve. The Frenchwoman finally clinched the first set 6-3 by serving it out successfully after 53 minutes.
Both players looked vulnerable on their serves as they both conceded break point opportunities, but failed to convert on them as it was an exchange of service holds to start the second set with. Within a blink of an eye, Cibulkova soon went down a double break as Cornet stepped up her game and confidence, with the momentum running in her. Cornet then lost the lead as the on-court coaching session for Cibulkova worked well, going back level at 5-5, after four breaks of service in a space of five games. Nevertheless, Cornet showed that the first set win was no fluke as she broke serve at the most crucial moment in the 11th game, and eventually served the match out successfully.
Muguruza gets past Kuznetsova
Garbine Muguruza, who has had the toughest path to the quarterfinals, earned a hard-fought victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets, her first straight-sets match in 2017. Kuznetsova started the match brightly with her powerful and accurate backhands helping her to take an early 4-1 lead as she managed to break serve once. The Russian almost managed to extend her lead in the next game but she missed the break point opportunity to allow Muguruza to hold her serve. Kuznetsova would rue the missed opportunity as she was broken back immediately in the next game as Muguruza stepped up her game and looked very fresh. The 2-time grand slam champion once again earned two break points at 5-4, which was also set points, but yet again was unable to convert on them.
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Once more, after missing the break points, Kuznetsova was broken as soon as the next game, which gave Muguruza the chance to serve out the set. The Spaniard did just that, serving it out after 58 minutes. Muguruza made the first breakthrough in the second set by putting herself in an advantageous situation to achieve a straight sets victory. Her celebrations were short-lived as the Russian broke back immediately to level the match. The Roland Garros champion earned a second straight break as Kuznetsova’s serve started getting vulnerable, regaining the lead. As there were no breaks of serve that followed, Muguruza eventually served out the match successfully, clinching the victory after 1 hour and 51 minutes.
Pliskova reaches the semifinal
Karolina Pliskova reached her first Brisbane semifinal after defeating Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals for the first time in her career. Vinci managed to trouble Pliskova with her sliced returns and crafty backhand slices, and it reflected in the scoreline as Vinci won the first set 6-3 after being able to take her chances well. The Czech managed to fight back as she quickly won the second set 6-2, after Pliskova’s serve improved as the game progressed, hitting a total of five aces in the second set alone. Vinci looked like she was going to have a third career victory over Pliskova when she broke serve in the opening game of the final set, and consolidated the break of serve with a tough hold of serve, coming from 0-40 down to do so. Pliskova looked determined to get her first victory over Vinci though, as she went on an incredible run of winning six games in a row to win the set and the match. The Italian looked frustrated with herself in the final set after losing the lead and was often overpowered by the Czech.
Svitolina creates huge upset
Elina Svitolina created a huge upset when she once again defeated the world number one, Angelique Kerber. Svitolina took advantage of Kerber’s slow start as she broke serve in the opening game, but was soon pegged back as the German broke back to level the match at 2-2. Svitolina maintained her composure and stepped up her game once more to break serve yet again, and this time, she managed to keep her nose in front when it came to the scores, eventually serving the first set 6-4. Svitolina extended her lead in the opening game of the second set but was once again pegged back as Kerber disallowed her to consolidate the break of serve.
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Several service holds followed as both players looked solid on their serves, and was unable to find a breakthrough in the return games. Kerber then broke to take the lead in the set for the first time, and successfully served out the set despite losing a 40-0 lead in the game. The world number one looked like she was poised for a victory as she was the one who broke serve first in the final set, but was unexpectedly broken to love immediately by the Ukrainian. Another string of service holds followed, but it was Kerber who first succumbed to the pressure when she lost her service game for the fifth time in the match to gift Svitolina a great chance to serve out the match and the upset. Svitolina did the one job she needed to do, winning the match after Kerber hit yet another unforced error.
Doubles action
The semifinals of the doubles competition were also decided after Hsieh Su-wei and Laura Siegemund took a three-set victory over Andreja Klepac and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in their quarterfinal match. In the other quarterfinal match, Abigail Spears and Katarina Srebotnik defeated Irina Falconi and Shelby Rogers in straight sets to start their partnership perfectly.