The Czechs have a great tennis tradition. On the map, what was once Czechoslovakia broke up into the Czech Republic and the Slovakia in 1992. Since then, a lot has changed, though in a sporting sense, the Czechs continue to produce champions in different sports.
On Saturday, the almost-unknown and unsung Linda Noskova, just 19, pulled off a giant-killing act as she whacked tennis shots of pedigree to dump Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1, out of the Australian Open – 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. It has been a strange love-hate relationhip between Swiatek and the outdoor hard courts in Melbourne, which have seldom seen her at her best.
Through this first week of the year’s first Grand Slam, Swiatek had stuttered and spluttered. If she was hoping to replace some kind of defective spark plug in ger game before this third-round match, it did not happen.
Noskova, heir to a tradition that takes in Martina Navratilova, Hana Mandlikova and Jana Novotna, among others, scripted a perfect win after losing the opening set. Swiatek, on an 18-match winning streak, looked good in the first set. This was a bit different from her previous rounds, where she had started nervously. But then, once the match got tight, Noskova started generating shots that were both bold and beautiful.
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Perhaps the shift in momentum was in the seventh game of the second set. Noskova saved a set point and then reeled off points in a flurry, 11 to be precise. The change in tempo and shift in gears saw her smell a win.
Against someone like Swiatek, it was important not to get carried away. The third set was more like a regulation one, nothing out of the world. In fact, it was Swiatek who needed to do something special to avert defeat. Perhaps, there is a mental block for her at the Australian Open and she did nothing to alter the script.
For sure, Noskova produced shots which reflected both maturity and the ability to outhit her opponent. “I am speechless,” she said after the match, voice laced with excitement. “I knew it was going to be an amazing match with the World No.1 player. I really did not think it would end up like this.”
In 1999, France’s Amelie Mauresmo had rocked Lindsay Davenport, then world No. 1, at the Australian Open in a similar manner. No comparisons between that era and now, but the 10 aces which Noskova rifled in were proof that she has been coached well.
“This year, I feel like I just want to get kind of back to work,” said a disconsolate Swiatek, whose No. 1 ranking is safe for now. “Last year, I felt like much more of balance. I feel like the whole year may be just tough now because of the start.”
Noskova will next face Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who showed that she is a Super Mom in the making as she defeated Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-3. Svitolina has been vocal in her support for Ukraine since the time the war with Russia began. On court, her battle was short and she enjoyed it. “Everything came really quick when I made the comeback,” she said. “I did not expect it to be so quick.” Married to Gael Monfils, now on diaper duty, Svitolina said she has enjoyed her return to competitive tennis – “It is amazing to be back on the tour, playing great tennis.”
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