Karolina Pliskova was born on 21 March 1992, in Louny, Czech Republic, to Radek Pilsek and Martina Pliskova. She also has a twin sister named Kristyna, who was also a professional tennis player.
Her junior career included winning the Australian Open title in 2010. After making her debut on the WTA Tour in 2012, Pliskova won her first title in 2013. That came courtesy of a hard-fought 1-6 7-5 6-3 triumph against Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
She also won her first Grand Slam match at Wimbledon that year. Pliskova made a breakthrough in 2014 by having huge success at WTA 250 events. She claimed two titles at the Korea Open and the Linz Open. In addition, Pliskova was the runner-up in Pattaya, Nuremberg, and Hong Kong.
The Czech made two bigger finals the following year. The first was a maiden WTA 1000 final in Dubai, where she lost to Simona Halep 4-6 6-7 in the final, and the second was another defeat in the final of the WTA Elite Trophy to Venus Williams.
She took the next step a year later at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati. Pliskova obtained a first title at that level by comfortably beating Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-1 in the final. An even bigger final then came just a few weeks later at the 2016 US Open.
Pliskova had a sensational run to the final at Flushing Meadows. Her wins to get there included an enthralling three-set triumph against Venus Williams and a victory over Serena Williams in the semifinal. However, Kerber avenged her loss in Cincinnati, and Pliskova lost 3-6, 6-4, 4-6.
2017 and 2018 brought vast success at WTA 500 tournaments. She earned five titles at that level in those two years. This was followed by a second WTA 1000 title at the Italian Open in Rome in 2019. Her run there included wins against Sofia Kenin and Victoria Azarenka before beating Johanna Konta in straight sets in the final.
Pliskova’s second Grand Slam final was at Wimbledon in 2021. She did not drop a set in her opening five matches against Tamara Zidansek, Donna Vekic, Tereza Martincova, Liudmila Samsonova, and Viktorija Golubic. The Czech then won a thrilling semifinal against Aryna Sabalenka 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to progress to the final.
Unfortunately for her, it was the second time unlucky for Pliskova. She could not overcome Ashleigh Barty and fell 3-6, 7-6, 3-6. The years since then have been a much bigger struggle for Pliskova.
However, the big-serving Czech continues to compete, and she can still be a danger to the best players if her powerful game is firing on all cylinders.
