Five things you might not know about Karolina Pliskova, who defeated Serena Williams

Karolina Pliskova has staged one of the biggest upsets of the Australian Open so far by defeating Serena Williams in a nail-biting quarter finals match.

The 26-year-old, from the Czech Republic, pulled off an epic comeback to beat the 23-time Grand Slam champion at Rod Laver Arena.

"I was almost in the locker-room but now I am standing here as a winner - it is a very good feeling," Pliskova said after the two-hour, 10-minute battle.

Here are five things you might not know about the tennis star, who is currently ranked No.7 in the world.

Her husband is also her manager

Pliskova married Michal Hrdlička in July, 2018 and shared several beautiful photos of their special day on Instagram. Their wedding, in Monaco, was kept top secret to ensure privacy.

They were together for three years before marrying and Pliskova announced her engagement during a media conference at the 2017 US Open.

Speaking of their relationship Pliskova said: "I think my personal life is important to me, also for my career. Now, my husband, I don’t call him husband, I call him Michal, he’s been working for me in some ways in a lot of things, so everything I think is working pretty well with us."

Hrdlička is also Pliskova's manager and has been working with her since 2016.

He was seen in the crowd cheering wildly as Pliskova defeated Williams during the Australian Open quarter finals on Wednesday.

Her husband has been involved in a few 'scandals'

Hrdlička was linked with other women during a drunken night out in the Czech Republic, while Pliskova was playing in Wimbledon. One photo even claimed he tried to urinate in the street, forcing him to issue a public apology. Hrdlička, who also worked as a television presenter, lost his job.

Of the scandal Pliskova said: "Unfortunately people speak about a person who they do not even know. He is a normal guy. Hopefully things will improve as time goes on. Definitely it's the most serious story I ever had. It's true, there were some wrong things but we never split."

She has a calendar

The Czech beauty is proud of her figure and regularly posts photos of herself in bikinis, from exotic locations around the world.

So, it's no surprise Pliskova released her very first calendar, for 2019.

The photos were taken in California, Prague and Monte Carlo where she now calls home.

She has several tattoos

Pliskova got her first tattoo when she was just 15. "My father was fine, but my mum wasn’t really happy with that," she said of the ink. "But she got over it somehow."

Her second tattoo was inspired by New Zealand’s Maori people and is a design now shared by the whole family. Her mother, father and sister, Kristyna, are marked with the same tattoo.

She has a twin sister, who also plays tennis

Pliskova and her sister Kristyna became the first twins ever to win a WTA doubles title in 2013, at Linz, beating Gabriela Dabrowski and Alicja Rosolska in the final.

But how to tell the twins apart on court? It's easy, actually. Karolina plays right-handed, Kristyna left.

Their tattoos are also a giveaway. Karolina has two Maori -style tattoos, one on her left thigh and on her left arm. Kristyna has one Maori -style tattoo on the inside of her left arm.