Magda Linette said it was a "dream come true" to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final after defeating former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
The unseeded Pole, who was expected to play second fiddle in Melbourne to top seeded compatriot Iga Swiatek, beat Czech 30th seed Pliskova 6-3, 7-5 inside Rod Laver Arena and will face Belarusian fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka for a place in the final.
"I'm so emotional, I can't really believe it," Linette, the world No 45, said. "It's a dream come true. I'm super grateful and happy. Thank you for cheering and supporting, I really needed this.
"So we keep going. I don't want to get too excited because we are still in the tournament,"
Sabalenka, the only top-10 seed left in the draw, earned her place in the last four by outmuscling Donna Vekic 6-3, 6-2 in a ferocious battle of big hitters in the second match on a baking Rod Laver Arena.
The Belarusian might have her hands full against unheralded Linette, who played wonderfully controlled tennis that belied her unseeded status to wrap up her victory over Pliskova.
Sabalenka later took her chances in a physical one-hour first set filled with break points before running away with the second to reach her fourth Grand Slam semi-final and first in Melbourne.
Vekic had held a 5-1 career record against the Belarusian but was unable to match the level of the new, improved Sabalenka with 13 double faults not helping the Croatian's cause.
Sabalenka still made plenty of errors but her once-fragile serve was largely solid, and when she got her explosive forehand going it was always going to be hard for Vekic to cope.
Two double faults as Sabalenka served for the match were a reminder of the player she once was but, the 24-year-old saved three break points and sealed the win with a huge forehand that struck the running Vekic in the body.
"She's a great player and it's always tough to against play her," Sabalenka said, before explaining why she thought she had come out on top.
"I think it was because I was calm and I expected this game from her, so I was able to stay in the game no matter what. That was the key."
Linette had no problems serving out her quarter-final against two-time Grand Slam finalist Pliskova, who made 36 unforced errors and was always chasing the match.
The Czech knew she had to raise her game in the second set after losing the first but Linette had the answer to everything thrown at her.
"She really played well from the baseline," said Pliskova. "I just didn't find any space in the court to go for my winners. Obviously the serve was not great today at all."
Linette had never been past the third round at a Grand Slam before arriving at Melbourne Park this year and said a change in mentality was behind her fairytale run.
"I think through all my life I've been taking mistakes, losses very personally," she explained. "So to disconnect [life] as a tennis player and a person was really difficult because I felt a lot of times that the mistakes were defining me."
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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Sri Lanka Test squad:
Dimuth Karunaratne (stand-in captain), Niroshan Dickwella (vice captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohamed Shiraz, Lakshan Sandakan and Lasith Embuldeniya.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Brighton, Sunday, 6pm UAE
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How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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2017%20RESULTS%3A%20FRENCH%20VOTERS%20IN%20UK
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