CNN
—
Fans and pundits alike expected the Polish player to play in the semi-finals of this year’s Australian Open, but it was not possible.
Magda Lynette, not women’s world No.1 Iga Swiatek, is Poland’s lone representative at this year’s singles tournament and will face Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals on Thursday after ousting former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova 6-3 7-5.
Shvyatek was the tournament favorite after reaching the semi-finals last year and winning eight titles in 2022, including two grand slams, but was knocked out by Wimbledon 2022 champion Yelena Rybakina on Sunday.
Ranked 45th, with a career high of 33rd, the right-handed Lynette has never advanced beyond the third round of a grand slam, but is the ninth-oldest woman in the Open era.
Having never advanced past the round of 32 in 29 major starts, she defeated three top-ranked players — No. 16 Anette Kontaveit, No. 19 Ekaterina Alexandrova and No. 4 Caroline Garcia — heading into her match against Pliskova. continuity.
“I’ll never forget it … it’ll stay with me for the rest of my life,” Lynette, 30, said after her win over Pliskova on Wednesday.
“I’m very calm, surprisingly, it helped me last time and I think it’s a good way for next time,” Lynette told reporters afterward.
Lynette believes that she has won so far by being calm and composed, even in the face of adversity or an aggressive opponent.
“I’ve had a lot of experience on those big courts before because I’ve played almost every grand slam on the big courts,” he explained.
“I’ve played with a lot of great players – it’s nothing new for me, it’s just another match,” added the tennis coach’s daughter, Lynette.
Lynette started playing tennis at the age of five and represented Poland at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. But he entered the top 100 only in 2015.
She beat top seed Ashley Barty at the 2021 French Open and reached the doubles semi-finals with Bernarda Pera, winning against big names.
She knocked out No. 2 seed Ons Jabour in the opening round of last year’s French Open, though she eventually lost to Martina Trevisan.
“When I started beating players like Ash Barty and then Ons, it gave me that extra kick, it showed me that I can really go far in these tournaments. I think it annoyed me more than surprised or disturbed me. I think it was more because I couldn’t do it,” she said, according to the WTA.
Lynette’s plans to compete in the 2021 Australian Open were tragically put on hold after she picked up a knee injury the day before her flight.
“Honestly, it was the worst experience of my life,” Lynette said Wednesday. “I had surgery on the meniscus … but the injury was so bad that no one could see what was going on.
“The day before my flight, the pain and discomfort, like I came back with extra energy,” Lynette said, adding that she couldn’t even walk, let alone think about the tournament.
He added before the tournament that he “listened to everyone complaining about the isolation, and I was jealous they had to do it because I wanted to be there.”
The injury went undiagnosed for 11 weeks and saw him sidelined for five months. But two years later, he credits that challenge for his current composure.
“Why? Because I guess it can’t really be that bad, can it? “To be honest, I didn’t play for five months, I’ve dropped my ranking, and I’ve also dropped my scores during the pandemic,” Lynette said at the time, fearing she would drop out of the top 100.
“On the one hand, I felt good that I was going to be done soon, and I think that gave me a little space to build everything from scratch.”
His injury, along with “huge changes” in his personal life, “changed a lot for me,” he added.
“I calmed down a bit. I’ve made a lot of changes in my life and made some tough decisions, and I think I’m getting rewarded for that now.”
However, Lynette doesn’t always have her composure in difficult moments – she broke down in tears during a tough match in Tampico, Mexico last October.
“In the first set I played a girl who gave me a lot of trouble. I was in tears in the first set. “My coaches were surprised by that,” he said.
“I felt like I had let all my anger out. That was the last time I really lost it. I’ve managed it better since then.”
Although Sabalenka has a career record of 2-0, given her good run this tournament, it was no surprise that Lynette advanced in the semi-finals and qualified for a storybook event in Melbourne for one of tennis’ biggest prizes.