US Open 2016: Karolina Pliskova crushes Ana Konjuh to reach US Open semi-finals

The tournament tenth seed had way too much power for her Croatian opponent, bursting into a 4-0 lead on the way to a first-set win that took just 28 minutes.

And while Konjuh made Pliskova up her game slightly in the second set, a break of serve to make it 3-2 proved enough to end the resistance.

Pliskova won five games on the spin to seal the second set 6-2 in just a minute more than the first had taken, progressing to the last four having barely broken a sweat.

A half-full Arthur Ashe Stadium never looked likely to be treated to a classic, with 18-year-old Konjuh appearing overshadowed by the occasion and failing to do herself credit with a sub-par performance.

The Czech Republic’s Pliskova didn’t need to produce much of her best tennis, but still impressed with some powerful ground strokes.

"I love New York and I love the hard court season," said Pliskova in her on-court interview following the match. "I'm very excited to be in my first Grand Slam semi-final…

"I did a quick break in the first game which helped me – I was more calm then and it really helped me go for my shots."

"I'm going to watch tonight's match for sure – I always watch the night session matches – and will see what I can try and learn."

Barely on the radar despite a huge win at WTA Cincinnati just a fortnight ago, Pliskova has been in devastating form - especially when serving - throughout the tournament. But she'll need to be at the absolute peak of her game if she's to win her semi-final meeting with the winner of the Serena Williams vs Simona Halep quarter-final.