Reputations tend to stick in tennis and one of the most cumbersome and damning labels to carry around the world is that of choker. It is not a tag awarded lightly and is only applied after habitual crumbling in sight of victory. The most common symptoms feature the inability to hit a winning shot in the final game that would have been routine earlier in the match.

There have been many notable chokers who have gone on to conquer their demons. Jana Novotna finally won that Wimbledon title she feared had slipped through her grasp. Tim Henman has also cruelly had the accusation levelled at him in some quarters and he of course finally went into retirement without that Wimbledon title he craved.

Daniela Hantuchova has long been perceived as a choker as well and certainly she seemed to lack the moral fortitude necessary to make her presence felt in grand-slam tournaments. Since emerging by winning the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon as an 18-year-old in 2001 and then reaching three consecutive grand-slam quarter-finals a year later, she has found it impossible to push any further.

As a result she managed to rise as high as fifth in the world and Nigel Sears, her long-time English coach, was convinced the great times were just around the corner. Sadly they never came and an alarming weight loss left her looking so painfully thin that many feared for her future.

Now at long last she stands on the brink of reaching a grand-slam final after showing an apparent new found maturity to progress through five rounds at the cost of just one set. Many speculated that once again her anxiety would hamper her against Agnieszka Radwanska, the Polish youngster, who has previously shown not a trace of nerves or regard for reputation after knocking defending champion Maria Sharapova out of last year’s US Open and then pitching out second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the early rounds here in Melbourne.

Just a glance at the score line tells the true story. Hantuchova’s win really was as emphatic as 6-2, 6-2 suggests and considering the troubles she has experienced throughout her career the poise and dominance of her performance was gratifying to watch. One criticism of the tall elegant Slovak over the years has been that she is far more comfortable on a doubles court than singles because she doesn’t have to shoulder the responsibility on her own but throughout this run to the last four, she has appeared to have finally come to terms with her challenge.

Of course she made a few mistakes. Even Roger Federer cannot go on to a court and expect his game to be bereft of unforced errors. Yet whereas those missed opportunities used to play on Hantuchova’s mind like a recurring nightmare, she now seems to have found the ability to immediately move on and not be burdened by continued speculation on what might have been.

Stepping up to serve for the match against Radwanska there seemed to be a new found calm in Hantuchova. She accepted that the overhead sun would make things difficult but did not let it affect her focus as it might have done in the past. Quite simply she got the job down which so often seemed an impossibility when the pressure mounted.

Hantuchova has been blessed with so many attributes in life; stunning good looks and an admirable disposition off the court that makes her one of the most liked players on the tour. Now she has also seemed to have dispensed of that derogatory label of being a choker.