Winner's Circle: Pliskova completes Brisbane hat-trick

In this edition, we shall follow defending champion Karolina Pliskova's journey to claim the Brisbane title for a third time (2017, 2019).

Following a semifinal loss to Ashleigh Barty at the 2019 WTA Finals in Shenzhen, Pliskova was looking to kick off the 2020 season by defending her Brisbane title.

The No.2 seed kicked off her campaign with a tough 6-4 6-7(5) 6-1 victory over Ajla Tomljanovic. The Aussie was spurred on by the local crowd but could not overcome her opponent's experience and big-hitting.

Next up for Pliskova was American Alison Riske, who was unable to survive the Czech's onslaught. Pliskova powered through 7-6(6) 6-3, although Riske assisted by hitting 11 double faults.

Pliskova faced 2019 Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka in the semifinals. The match was a roller-coaster of emotion, with Pliskova advancing 6-7(10) 7-6(3) 6-2 in two hours and 48 minutes.

The other semifinal saw eighth seed Madison Keys battle past fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova 3-6 6-2 6-3 in two hours. With top-seeded Ashleigh Barty losing in the second round, the draw was wide open.

Prior to this meeting, Pliskova had never faced Keys on the WTA circuit. The final was a back-and-forth encounter, with both ladies splitting the first two sets. After breaking serve in the seventh game of the final set, the Czech was broken in her first attempt to serve out the match at 5-4.

However, Pliskova powered to her fourth break of the match in the 11th game. She then proceeded to serve out the match, 6-4 4-6 7-5 in two hours and seven minutes.

This victory saw the Czech successfully defend a title for the first time in her career, maintaining her No.2 position in the WTA rankings. Furthermore, the former World No.1 clinched her 16th WTA singles title, and a record third at Brisbane.

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