Williams, Lucic-Baroni win in throwback Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — When Mirjana Lucic-Baroni served out her victory over Karolina Pliskova at the Australian Open on Wednesday, making an unlikely return to the semifinals of a Grand Slam after nearly 18 years, she fell to her knees, placed her forehead on the court and wept.
Few expected her to ever have this chance at a major again. Lucic-Baroni, however, never gave up believing in herself.
It was a heartfelt scene that touched even Serena Williams, her opponent in the semifinals at Melbourne Park, who started her career at the same time as Lucic-Baroni.
“I’m so proud of Mirjana,” Williams said after her 6-2, 6-3 victory over ninth-seeded Johanna Konta. “It’s so good to see her back out and to see her in the semifinals really just is so inspiring for me.