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Serena Williams’s pursuit of a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title will have to wait.
Williams was ousted from the Australian Open on Wednesday, falling to seventh-seeded Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, in a quarterfinal match. Pliskova advanced to the semifinals, where she will meet Naomi Osaka, who defeated No. 6 Elina Svitolina earlier in the day.
After splitting two tight sets with Pliskova, Williams was cruising through the third and appeared to be on the verge of advancing after taking a 5-1 lead.
But then Williams appeared to injure her left ankle on match point.