Kerber victorious, Pavlyuchenkova stuns Pliskova on day 5 in Melbourne

17th seeded Kerber and world no. 2 Karolina Pliskova were clear favorites to win their 3rd round matches in Melbourne. However, Rod Laver Arena was not a lucky place for the Czech today.

While Angelique Kerber opened the day in Margaret Court Arena against Camilo Giorgi, Karolina Pliskova faced Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the main venue in Melbourne Park.

Kerber started the match against Giorgi ideally when she managed to win the first set 6-2. But in the second set, we did not see any breakpoints and so tie-break had to decide. There, it was an Italian player who was more successful to level the score. However, the German picked up another set afterward when she triumphed 6-3 in the third to secure her 4th round spot in Melbourne.

In the next round, the 2016 Australian Open champion will be facing Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The Russian outplayed world number 2 Karolina Pliskova after 2 hours and 28 minutes. The match featured 2 tie-breaks and 21 unused break opportunities.

Pliskova struggled to convert her breakpoints in the most important moments today what, in the end, cost her a victory. As both sets reached the tie-break, there was also a bit of luck included. However, Pavlyuchenkova showed a great experience by winning both and so she got a step closer to the glory at the 2020 Australian Open.

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/B7uorPWpp-i/[/embed]