- Czech player upsets world No 1 and top seed 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
- Muchová bounces back after medical timeout in second set
A set and 2-1 down, Karolína Muchová sits in her chair. Movement and muffle from behind a black Adidas face mask shows she is speaking to the two medicos hovering in front.
The one with the walkie talkie strapped to his trousers clasps her wrist between thumb and two fingers, feeling for a pulse that is clearly present but has been very much absent on Rod Laver Arena. The Czech 24-year-old has met her Australian Open match in Ash Barty, outrun and outwitted for over half an hour.
Related: Australian Open 2021 women’s quarter-final: Ash Barty stunned by Karolina Muchova – live!