Melbourne: Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine defeated unseeded Czech Linda Noskova on Wednesday, becoming only the second women’s qualifier in Open Era history to reach the Australian Open semi-finals.
In sweltering circumstances on Rod Laver Arena, the world number 93 broke three times to win 6-3, 6-4 in 78 minutes, securing a last-four battle with unseeded Russian Anna Kalinskaya or Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen.
Yastremska is the first women’s qualifier to reach the season-opening Grand Slam semifinals since Christine Matison of Australia in 1978. “It’s nice to make history, because at that time I wasn’t even born,” she told me. “Next generation, and it’s good to make history. I’m extremely happy.
“I played well, but I didn’t feel like I was playing really well. I simply play as best I can. I’m so fatigued, and all that was left was battling.”
Yastremska faced a difficult battle to make the main draw at Melbourne Park, going the distance in all three of her qualification matches.
But she stepped up her game as the season-opening Grand Slam began, defeating Wimbledon champion and seventh seed Marketa Vondrousova in the first round and eliminating two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round.
Noskova, the Czech world number 50, has her own notable victories, including a third-round defeat of world number one Iga Swiatek. Noskova, 19, was the first to move in.
Yastremska had another break in the eighth game, giving her the opportunity to serve out the set, which she did flawlessly.
The decisive moment in the second set came in the seventh game, when Yastremska smashed a backhand winner past Noskova to break, and she went on to win with little fuss.
The 23-year-old, who has a career-high ranking of 21, was cleared of doping in June 2021 after an appeal following a negative test that resulted in an initial suspension.
Yastremska, who has three WTA singles titles, became the first qualifier to reach a major quarterfinal since eventual champion Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open.
