Agnieszka Radwanska blamed a tough Australian Open schedule after bombing out against Dominika Cibulkova on Thursday, saying back-to-back matches had left her feeling like a “half-mummy”.
The Polish fifth seed appeared to have the pedigree against Cibulkova, ranked 24th in the world, but their semi-final was a mismatch as the Slovak raced through 6-1, 6-2.
Afterwards Radwanska said she felt like she was playing in “slow motion” after coming through a tense three-setter against defending champion Victoria Azarenka just a day earlier.
“I felt like I was in slow motion today. I had a couple of tough matches, especially yesterday,” she said.
“When I played a very tough match, very high level yesterday, playing the next day is always tough,” Radwanska added.
The Pole was drawn in the bottom half of the women’s draw, meaning she had to play her quarter-final just a day before the semis. The women’s final is on Saturday.
“I knew I was the playing in the second half so of course I wouldn’t have a day off. In that case, that day off would be really a lot for me,” she said.
Radwanska also fell to lower-ranked opposition in her previous Grand Slam semi-final appearance, against Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon last year.
“It was similar, I think,” she said, when asked to compare the two matches. “(Today) I think I had a bigger chance even when I was, like, half-mummy.”
Radwanska also needed three sets against Yulia Putintseva and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova earlier in the tournament, and she admitted the cumulative effort had left her feeling wiped out.
“We’re just human beings, we’re not machines,” she said. “Sometimes it happens – sometimes you’re just exhausted.”
Cibulkova, who has raced through the tournament losing just one set, in her victory over Maria Sharapova, will face Li Na in the women’s final. Na earlier topped Eugenie Bouchard to reach her third Australian Open final in the last four years. She is still seeking her first victory at the tournament, though.