NEW DELHI: Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska showcased her tennis prowess on Wednesday at the Australian Open, securing her place in history as just the second women’s qualifier in the Open Era to reach the semifinals of the prestigious tournament.
In a commanding performance on Rod Laver Arena, the world number 93 triumphed over unseeded Czech player Linda Noskova with a 6-3, 6-4 victory in 78 minutes.
Yastremska, now set to face either unseeded Russian Anna Kalinskaya or Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals, broke ground as the first women’s qualifier to reach the last four at the season-opening Grand Slam since Australia’s Christine Matison in 1978.
Reflecting on her historic achievement, Yastremska expressed her joy, stating, “It’s nice to make history because at that time I wasn’t even born. Next generation and nice to make history. I’m super happy. I played good, but I didn’t really feel like I’m playing really good. I just play like I can. I’m really a little bit tired and everything that was left was just fighting.”
Yastremska’s journey to the main draw at Melbourne Park involved overcoming challenges, as she was taken to the distance in all three of her qualifying matches.
However, once in the main draw, she elevated her game, defeating Wimbledon champion and seventh seed Marketa Vondrousova in the first round and eliminating two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round.
Her quarterfinal opponent, Czech world number 50 Linda Noskova, had also made waves with significant victories, including a third-round upset of world number one Iga Swiatek.
In the quarterfinal encounter, Noskova took an early lead by breaking in the third game, only for Yastremska to swiftly level the score at 2-2. Yastremska secured a crucial break in the eighth game, allowing her to serve out the set with precision.
The second set witnessed a pivotal moment in the seventh game when Yastremska delivered a powerful backhand winner to break, ultimately sealing the victory with ease.
The 23-year-old Yastremska, whose career-high ranking is 21, was cleared of doping in June 2021 following a successful appeal after a failed test that initially led to a ban. Notably, she became the first qualifier since Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open to reach the quarterfinals at a major.
(With inputs from AFP)