Serena Williams denied choking after falling victim to one of the greatest ever comebacks Wednesday, saying she was powerless as Czech foe Karolina Pliskova “just went crazy” and stormed into the Australian Open semi-finals.
Williams had Pliskova on the rack serving at 5-1 in the third set but the seventh seed fended off four match points to bounce back and end the American’s latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam.
“She just played lights out on match point, literally hitting lines,” Williams said. “Just went for it, just went crazy on match point. She just played unbelievably.”
The 37-year-old made a slow start and conceded the first set but had recovered and looked set for a hard-fought win before a desperate Pliskova went on the six-game rampage. Read more