Fans and analysts alike anticipated a Polish presence in the Australian Open semifinals this year, though they likely did not expect an unseeded player to be the one making the run.
Magda Linette, rather than the world No. 1 Iga Światek, is Poland’s last remaining player in the singles draw. Linette secured her spot in the semifinals by defeating former World No. 1 Karolina Plíšková 6-3, 7-5, and will face Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday.
Światek, who was the tournament favorite after a stellar 2022 season with eight titles and two Grand Slam victories, was eliminated by Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, earlier in the tournament.
Linette, currently ranked 45th with a career-high of 33rd, had never advanced past the third round of a Grand Slam before this tournament. At 30, she has become the ninth-oldest woman in the Open Era to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Her journey to the semifinal has been remarkable; having previously never gone beyond the round of 32 in 29 Grand Slam appearances, Linette defeated three seeded players in a row—No. 16 Anett Kontaveit, No. 19 Ekaterina Alexandrova, and No. 4 Caroline Garcia—to reach the quarterfinals.
“This is something I’ll always remember … it’s a moment that will stay with me for life,” Linette said after her quarterfinal win.
She remains surprisingly calm and credits her composure for her success. “Staying calm and composed has been crucial, even against tough opponents,” she noted.
Linette, the daughter of a tennis coach, began playing tennis at age five and has represented Poland in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She entered the top 100 for the first time in 2015.
Noteworthy victories in her career include defeating top-seeded Ashleigh Barty at the 2021 French Open and reaching the doubles semifinals with Bernarda Pera. Last year, she also knocked out No. 2 seed Ons Jabeur in the opening round of the French Open.
“When I started beating players like Ashleigh Barty and Ons Jabeur, it really showed me that I could go far in these tournaments,” Linette said. “It was more about frustration than worry—frustration over why I hadn’t achieved more before.”