In a contest of fluctuating fortunes, to say the least, it was Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic who found herself zigging when she needed to zag at the Brisbane International.
With a semi-final berth up for grabs on Pat Rafter Arena on Friday night, the 25-year-old looked well out of her depth against fifth seed and world No.8 Karolina Pliskova as she floundered to lose the first set 6-1.
Opportunity lost: When Australian hope Ajla Tomljanovic was good, she was good but when she was bad . . .Credit:AAP
The Czech, who has a curious penchant for Maori tattoos, barely looked like she shifted out of first gear and fans were readying themselves for a short showing in the first match of the evening.
Instead, it was Tomljanovic who roared back with gusto. She belted nine winners in the second set as Pliskova looked powerless to get anything back over the net. The change of momentum was so swift and complete that even Pliskova looked stunned by the sudden surge.
The world No.46, who battled injury last year, was the one to hit the ground running in the final set but her streak of hot form departed almost as soon as it arrived. Pliskova confidently took back control to win 6-1, 1-6, 6-1.
Tomljanovic will surely be perplexed by the manner of her defeat, especially when she had such a fine player on the ropes and the chance to play a WTA semi-final on home soil.
She had only just been speaking about her new mental fortitude and how she was banishing negative thoughts during play. All the wishful thinking in the world couldn't keep her opponent at bay in the end.
Down 3-0 in the third set, Tomljanovic called a coaching time-out in a bid to try to regain control. It didn't work, although she did manage to grab a game to ensure a symmetrical feel to the scoreline.
Pliskova progresses to face Croatia's Donna Vekic on Saturday night.
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