Melbourne: Karolina Pliskova said being seen as a tournament favourite put extra pressure on her at the Australian Open after she was upset yesterday in the quarters by Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. The 24-year-old made the tennis world stand up and take notice when she powered to the US Open final last year, losing to world number one Angelique Kerber after beating Serena Williams in the semis. But she said being expected to win matches was not always easy. “It’s not easy just to play another Grand Slam. And I was favoured in every match. There was not one match where I played with someone who is better,” she said.
AFP