Karolina Muchova put together two of the best sets of tennis she's ever played in her upset win over Ash Barty, but the biggest takeaway from the two-hour epic will be the medical timeout the 25th seed took early in the second frame.
Having lost the first set in 25 minutes, Muchova was down a break at 0-2 in the second when she took a timeout.
The match was delayed for more than 10 minutes as the 24-year-old left the court.
From that point on, Muchova was completely dominant. She won 12 games to Barty's three, and broke the world number one four times on the way to a 1-6 6-3 6-2 victory.
MORE: Barty suffers shock quarter-final defeat to Muchova |
Muchova played some sensational tennis, while Barty - for lack of a better term - bottled it. But the blow-ups and meltdowns online about Muchova's timeout were all too predictable.
To be clear: Muchova didn't break any rules. We see this all the time at all levels of the sport. Just because you don't like it, doesn't make it illegal.
She just played much better tennis than Barty did over the next hour and a half.
Here's what Muchova told Jim Courier about the timeout after the match.
"I was a bit lost on the court and my head was spinning so I took a break. It helped me," she said.
"I tried to get back and play faster rallies, so it wasn't as long as in the first set and it worked out well."
Asked whether she was having an earlier abdominal injury worked on, Muchova hinted the Melbourne heat may have had an impact.
"No. They checked my pressure. I was a bit lost. I was spinning," she said.
"They cooled me down a bit with ice and it helped me."
Barty remained tight-lipped about the incident afterwards.
She was asked about it six times, but refused to blame the timeout on her subsequent defeat.
"It's completely within the rules for her to take it," she said.
"That shouldn't be a massive turning point in the match. I'm disappointed it did become a turning point."
Breaking down the match afterwards, Barty's close friend and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua denied there was anything illegal about Muchova's timeout.
"It's all legally fine in regards to the match. But she said she felt dizzy, but whatever they did for her, it really helped," she said.
"She came out and she played some really good tennis, she started getting her serve moving, started to move her forehand well and came forward well."
Dellacqua was measured in her comments, crediting Muchova for playing some great tennis, but, predictably, the debate raged on Twitter.
Tennis players take note: if you’re getting thrashed and “feeling lost,” just take a 10 minute medical break.
— Mark Gibson (@markgibbo) February 17, 2021
All within the rules apparently.
Devastating loss for Ash Barty. #AusOpen
The MTO by Muchova at 1-6 1-2, a break down seemed legit, but it still does not sit well when it pivots a match on a dime. Muchova has won 7 of 8 games since leaving the court. Thoughts anyone?
— Pam Shriver (@PHShriver) February 17, 2021
So much for a "medical timeout"
— Shane McInnes (@shanemcinnes) February 17, 2021
Muchova admits "I felt lost... so had a break and it helped me.
She took a rest break in a quarter final. A rest break.#AusOpen
The medical timeout turned this match on its head.
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) February 17, 2021
At 6-2 2-1, Barty had 7 winners and 7 unforced errors. Muchova had 1 winner and 18 unforced errors.
Since then Barty has 7 winners and 15 unforced errors, compared to 8 winners and 4 unforced errors for Muchova.#AusOpen
Karolina Muchova's medical timeout broke Ash Barty's momentum completely in that quarterfinal. Should "strategic timeouts" be introduced in Tennis? 🤔#AusOpen | #AO2021
— Stats Insider (@StatsInsider) February 17, 2021
Do Aussie sports fans need to be better losers?