Jasmine Paolini has suffered a fifth career loss against Karolina Muchova, this time going down in straight sets as Italy were bundled out of the United Cup.
The world No.4 was completely dominated in the first leg of Italy's showdown with the Czech Republic, going down 6-2 6-2 in front of a boisterous crowd in Sydney.
Paolini has never managed to defeat Muchova and with the Australian Open right around the corner, it could be a danger game for the rising star.
"It's a Muchova masterclass," Sam Smith said on the Nine broadcast.
Karolina Muchova celebrates a straight sets win over Jasmine Paolini. Getty
"Her easiest victory over the Italian in straight sets. It was comprehensive and what a performance from Muchova.
"One of the best players in the world soundly beaten for the fifth consecutive time. When she gets to Melbourne and sees that Australian Open draw, the first name she's gonna look for is Karolina Muchova and just pray that she is nowhere near her.
"That is what Muchova can do to one of the world's best."
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Muchova, who sits in 22nd on the WTA rankings, was overcome with emotion after helping lead her country into the semi-finals of the tournament.
"I really wanted to bring a point to the team, I was trying to stay focused," she said.
"Jasmine is an unbelievable player and it was a really tough match. I knew I had to go until the end, she had many chances and break points.
"We played last year once and then it was a long time ago … I'm happy though that I managed to win. I tried to play aggressive and it worked well in the past matches."
The result for the Czechs was cemented in the men's singles match as Tomas Machac rolled through Flavio Cobolli in straight sets to win 6-1 6-2 in less than an hour.
"This is insanely impressive from the Czechs," Jim Courier said on commentary.
"They have steamrolled Italy on the singles court."
The two teams will play in mixed doubles on Saturday night, but the Czechs hold an unassailable 2-0 lead after both singles matches.
Czech Republic will now square off against the highly-fancied United States in the semis, with the likes of Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz on the team.
The other semi-final clash will see Poland face off against Kazakhstan on Saturday.
