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Serena Williams crashes out of Aus Open in astonishing meltdown

Serena Williams has suffered one of the biggest implosions in Australian Open history to crash out in the quarter-finals.

The 23-time grand slam champ had one foot in the semi-finals on Wednesday, before a monumental meltdown against Karolina Pliskova.

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Serena served for the match at 5-1 in the third set, before Pliskova somehow saved four match points and reeled off six-straight games to snatch victory 6-4 4-6 7-5.

“I was almost in the locker-room but now I am standing here as a winner – it is a very good feeling,” Pliskova said after the two-hour, 10-minute battle on Rod Laver Arena.

Serena Williams blew victory. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Serena Williams blew victory. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

“She was playing very well, especially at the end of the second set. She went for her shots and she was aggressive and I played too passive.

“I said, ‘Let’s try this game 5-2, maybe I will have a couple of chances’. She got a little bit shaky in the end so I took my chances and I won.”

The Czech will play Japanese fourth seed and reigning US Open champion Naomi Osaka in Thursday’s semi-finals, while Williams remains stranded one grand slam shy of Margaret Court’s all-time record 24 major singles titles.

Williams looked set to wrap up the match comfortably, but appeared to jar her ankle on her first match point.

Karolina Pliskova celebrates her victory. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
Karolina Pliskova celebrates her victory. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

With the American seemingly troubled by the injury, Pliskova seized the opportunity to fight her way back into the match.

Pliskova is unbeaten this year after winning the season-opening Brisbane International.

The loss once again dashes Williams’ hopes in Melbourne of matching Court’s long-standing record after the 37-year-old also fell just short at Wimbledon and the US Open as a beaten finalist.

Pliskova’s previous best grand slam result was a loss in the 2016 US Open final to Angelique Kerber, while she’s never previously gone further than the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.

with AAP