Australian Open: Karolina Muchova knocks out Ashleigh Barty to book semi-finals berth

Melbourne [Australia], February 17 (ANI): Australian tennis player Ashleigh Barty bowed out of the ongoing Australian Open after facing a defeat at the hands of Czech Karolina Muchova on Wednesday.
Muchova defeated the local hero 6-1, 3-6, 2-6 in a match that lasted for 117 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. The win sends the 25th seed, Muchova into her first Grand Slam semifinal.
Muchova didn't have a good start as she lost the first set and took a medical timeout in the second set having her temperature checked. But she made a remarkable comeback winning the last two sets 6-3, 6-2.
Earlier, American tennis player Serena Williams progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament. Serena defeated Romania's Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-finals at the Rod Laver Arena and as a result, the American has her dream intact of registering her 24th Grand Slam win.
The 39-year-old Serena was in an emphatic mood in the first set and she did not give Halep any chance and as a result, the American star won the first set 6-3. Serena hit 14 winners to win the opening set.
In the second set, Halep gained a 3-1 lead, but Serena managed to come back to bring the scoreline level at 3-3. Carrying on her with her momentum, Serena made the winning charge and as a result, she ended up winning the match in straight sets. She will now face Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Osaka had advanced to the semi-finals of the Australian Open after overpowering Taiwan's Su-Wei Hsieh on Tuesday.
The three-time Grand Slam champion Osaka defeated Hsieh in two consecutive sets and sealed a comfortable victory in 66 minutes at Rod Laver Arena. The world number three smashed seven aces in her dominating victory to extend the winning streak to 19 matches. (ANI)