By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Pacing slowly off the court to take an injury timeout midway through the final set, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni’s left thigh and calf were wrapped in kinesiology tape, while she clutched a sweat-soaked towel in her right hand.

Staring down a 3-4 deficit to a powerful opponent 10 years her junior, Lucic-Baroni limped off looking like the walking wounded.

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The 79th-ranked former phenom returned with a brilliant bang.

Eighteen years after her last Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon, an inspired Lucic-Baroni reeled off of 12 of the last 13 points shocking fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, to advance to the Australian Open semifinals.

This was a match of passion, plot twists and perseverance that culminated with a convincing close and a tear-jerker ending.

When it was over, Lucic-Baroni was overcome with emotion. She dropped to her knees, crossed herself, placed her palms on the blue court and wept tears of joy.

Lucic-Baroni’s sentimental story is touching; her matches have become must-see TV in Melbourne. Her revealing post-match interviews are so moving, analyst Rennae Stubbs—along with several fans—could have used some Kleenex hearing her pour out her feelings today.

“I can’t believe this,” said Lucic-Baroni, who appeared to don rosary beads before serving out the match. “This is crazy. The only thing I can say is God is good—that’s really all I can say. I can’t believe I’m in the semifinals again. I feel a little bit in shock right now.”

The 2014 WTA Comeback Player of the Year has now knocked off two of the top five seeds—she upset third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska in round two—and is projected to rise to No. 44 when the new WTA rankings are released. It will be Lucic-Baroni's first apppearance in the Top 45 since October, 1999.

Trailing 1-3 in the first set, Lucic-Baroni reeled off five of the next six games, including blasting a pair of backhands to help seal the 32-minute set with a break.

Tattooing a forehand winner followed by a sharp-angled backhand winner, Lucic-Baroni earned double break point. When Pliskova launched a forehand sitter long, the 34-year-old Croatian had her third break for a 2-0 second-set lead.

Bouncing back to triple break point in the next game, Pliskova registered the revenge break when the veteran scattered a crosscourt backhand wide.

The service break was followed by a medical break.

Pliskova, whose movement looked a little stilted in the opening set, called for the trainer to treat a blister on the bottom of her right foot.

A lapse of control put Lucic-Baroni in a double break point bind in the fifth game. She saved the first, but was dragged side-to-side on the second sticking a backhand into net.

Scoring her third break for a 3-2 lead, Pliskova erupted with an enthusiastic scream—the most emotion she’d shown all day.

David Kotyza, Pliskova’s new coach who formerly coached Petra Kvitova, has tried to help the 6-foot-1 Czech refine her footwork. Pliskova has a habit of taking one loping stride when two short steps are often better to maintain balance between her body and the ball. Lucic-Baroni tied her tall opponent up with some vicious returns right back into the body breaking again for 3-all.

The Croatian trains in Florida and wears a Babolat visor and sunglasses on court for protection. Neither accessory helped as she badly bungled a smash into the bottom of the net gifting the break in the seventh game.

Moving with more urgency, Pliskova made a tremendous get, opened the court with an angled forehand, then slashed a forehand winner down the line bringing Kotyza and company out of their seats in her player box as she held for 5-3.

Flicking back a full-stretch forehand return down the line, Pliskova broke at love with a flourish, rolling through the final three games of the second set.

When Lucic-Baroni gets her body behind the ball, she is dangerous off both wings.

Smacking a forehand crosscourt for a second break point, she challenged Pliskova with another jolting return right into the body breaking to open the final set.

A mistaken over-rule in the next game unnerved the veteran, who spit up successive double faults and slapped a shot long capping a horror-show game to give back the break.

Tomahawking a return winner she punctuated with a shout, Lucic-Baroni grabbed the third straight break of the deciding set. This time, she confirmed the break extending the advantage to 3-1.

Putting her wide wingspan to effective use, Pliskova slid a forehand return down the line for triple break point. Two points later, Lucic-Baroni cracked coughing up the error as Pliskova got back on serve, 3-all.



Shortly after Pliskova held for 4-3, Lucic-Baroni left the court to take treatment for her right quadriceps.

The serve was an instant remedy upon her return: Lucic-Baroni slashed three aces for a love hold when play resumed to level.

Rolling through eight straight points, Lucic-Baroni broke at love for 5-4. Slamming her ninth ace, Lucic-Baroni earned match point an error and sealed a rousing victory when Pliskova lined a forehand off the Kia sign affixed to net.

It’s been an amazing journey.

It’s not over yet. Lucic-Baroni must hope her banged up legs heal overnight as she takes on world No. 2 Serena Williams, 19 years after they last squared off in the 1998 Wimbledon second round.

"I know her story it’s really great," Williams said. "I cannot underestimate her. She’s a great fighter."

 

The 22-time Grand Slam champion swept 2016 semifinalist Johanna Konta and now stands one win from a possible Williams sisters rematch in the final. Older sister Venus Williams plays unseeded CoCo Vandeweghe in the other semifinal.



In April of 1997 Lucic-Baroni won the first WTA tournament she entered in Bol, Croatia and reached the final of her second pro tournament in Strasbourg, falling to Steffi Graf.

Less than a year later, in her first pro doubles event, Lucic-Baroni partnered Martina Hingis to become the youngest player in history to win an Australian Open doubles title at age 15 years, 10 months, and 21 days. She won two titles and reached the 1999 Wimbledon semifinals, but stepped away from the game after experiencing problems with her domineering father.

Practicing on the public park courts of Sarasota, Florida in recent years,  Lucic-Baroni remained committed to the tennis dream.

Today, she looked like a woman embracing it as she knelt on court and cried tears of joy.

“I know this means a lot to every player to reach a semifinal, but to me this is overwhelming,” Lucic-Baroni said. “I will never, ever forget this day. This has truly made my life—everything—okay. Just the fact I was this strong and it was worth fighting for is really incredible.”