Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan shocked Karolina Pliskova by roaring back from 1-5 down in a deciding set to win 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 and advance to the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships yesterday.
Her success against Czech Pliskova continues a remarkable record against former world number ones having beaten Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the previous round in Dubai and memorably conquering Simona Halep at Wimbledon last year.
“I felt I had to apologise to Pliskova because I was crying and screaming so much,” said the 33-year-old after reaching her first Premier-level tour semi-final.
“It was not easy to come back. I say to myself, ‘Okay, if she [does] not ace me, I hit the ball so much harder than before, then she cannot hit a winner.’”
Hsieh fired a backhand down the line to earn the break that saw her claim the first set lead. Pliskova, who missed nine chances to break her opponent, roared back in the second set to level the match without facing a single break point.
The 26-year-old surged to a match-winning position at 5-1 but the Czech’s errors piled up allowing Hsieh to break back twice for 5-5, and a wild backhand from Pliskova at 6-5, confirmed Hsieh’s triumph.
Hsieh will meet Petra Kvitova in today’s final four after the two-time Wimbledon champion dispatched Slovakia’s Viktoria Kuzmova 6-4, 6-0 to advance.
Meanwhile, Kvitova says Naomi Osaka’s shyness is a problem for her as she struggles to deal with the increased scrutiny in the wake of her success at the Grand Slams and her rise to the top of the world rankings.
A tearful Osaka admitted difficulty in dealing with the attention of being the world’s top-ranked woman after a shock defeat by France’s Kristina Mladenovic at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
It was the 21-year-old’s first match since her Australian Open triumph in January for the second Grand Slam title of her career. Kvitova said Osaka would have to get used to having a target on her back.
“She’s number one, Grand Slam winner, everyone just wants to beat her. That’s how players are thinking,” Kvitova, beaten by Osaka in the Melbourne final, told reporters.
“I remember when I was young, I totally had same mindset. That’s how it is... it’s about experiences and coming to the court knowing that you are the favourite of every match.”