Thirtysomethings:

Australian semifinals have feeling of familiarity

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA— When Mirjana Lucic-Baroni served out her victory over Karolina Pliskova at the Australian Open on Wednesday, making an unlikely return to the semifinals of a Grand Slam after nearly 18 years, she fell to her knees, placed her forehead on the court and wept.

Few expected her to ever have this chance at a major again. Lucic-Baroni, however, never gave up believing in herself.

“I’m so proud of Mirjana,” Serena Williams said after her 6-2, 6-3 victory over ninth-seeded Johanna Konta. “It’s so good to see her back out and to see her in the semifinals really just is so inspiring for me.

“No matter what happens, someone 34 or older will be in the final and that’s just really awesome.”

Williams, 35, and Lucic-Baroni, 34, will meet Thursday in a tournament that’s starting to have a distinct throwback feel.

With 36-year-old Venus Williams also reaching the semifinals, it’s the first time in the Open era that two players 35 or older have reached the final four of a Grand Slam. Venus next plays another American, 25-year-old CoCo Vandeweghe.

On the men’s side, three players 30 and over reached the semifinals — matching an Open era record set at the 1968 French Open. Roger Federer, 35, and Stan Wawrinka, 31, booked their spots on Tuesday, and 30-yearold Rafael Nadal joined them Wednesday.

Of all the 30-somethings playing well in Melbourne, Lucic-Baroni’s performance is perhaps the most astonishing.

She was once considered a prodigy with as much promise — and power — as the Williams sisters. When she was 15, she won the first tournament she entered in 1997 and several months later captured the 1998 Australian Open doubles title with Martina Hingis.

She and Serena played each other twice in 1998, including in the second round of Wimbledon. They haven’t played on tour since.