MELBOURNE, Australia: Top-ranked Ash Barty gained a big lead in his quarter-final match at the Australian Open before his opponent stopped and left the track.
More than an hour later, Barty came out abruptly towards the exit. Karolina Muchova upset her on Wednesday, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Launched No. 25, Muchova got her first berth in the semifinals in a Grand Slam. Her comeback victory ended with Barty’s bid to become the first Australian woman to win the title in Melbourne since Chris O’Neil in 1978.
Muchova’s opponent on Thursday will be the winner of the final quarterfinals, a all-American showdown between 22-year-old Jennifer Brady and unclassified Jessica Pegula.
Muchova played poorly at the start of his second great quarter-final and Barty advanced 5-0 while losing just six points. After nine games, Muchova had a winner and 18 unforced errors and, at the start of the second set, took a timeout due to injury that lasted almost 10 minutes.
“I started to feel a little lost,” Muchova said. “Ash started really well. He played almost like no mistake; he was very tough. I was a little lost on the court and my head was spinning, so I took a break. And he helped me.”
The medical staff took her temperature, checked her blood pressure and gave her ice before leaving the courthouse. When the Czech came back, he played much better.
“I tried to play rallies a little faster so we wouldn’t play as long as in the first set,” Muchova said, “and it worked well.”
The comebacks have been a staple of the tournament for Muchova, who rallied in previous games to win sets after continuing 5-0, 4-0.
Against Barty, he started going into court to hit her earlier. Barty, pushed behind the baseline, became undecided and erratic.
During one stretch Muchova won eight of nine games. Barty finished with 37 unforced errors and lost service four times in the last two sets.
Muchova’s only other win over the top five was against Karolina Pliskova, No. 3, at Wimbledon in 2019.