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Aus Open: Ukrainian qualifier Yastremska, Noskova reach quarters

Last updated on: January 22, 2024 14:47 IST

Dayana Yastremska

IMAGE: Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska in action during her fourth round match against Belarus' Victoria Azarenka. Photograph: Edgar Su /Reuters

Qualifier Dayana Yastremska continued her fairytale run into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday with a 7-6(6), 6-4 upset of twice former champion and 18th seed Victoria Azarenka.

The Ukrainian world number 93, who stunned Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the first round, had to fight hard but was rewarded for her aggression with 38 winners to forge on into a half of the draw devoid of top 10 seeds.

 

"I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my body," the 23-year-old said after the biggest win of her career.

"I was losing the tiebreak, I was losing the second set, I was always felt like I was running behind the train. But I think I'm a little bit of a fighter so that's why I won this match."

Victoria Azarenka

IMAGE: Victoria Azarenka in action during her fourth round match against Dayana Yastremska. Photograph: Edgar Su /Reuters

In a punishing baseline battle with virtually no net play, Yastremska got the first of the six breaks of serve in the opening set only for Azarenka to rattle off the next four games to edge in front.

Azarenka, back-to-back champion in 2012-2013 and a Melbourne semi-finalist last year, served for the set but Yastremska kept up the pressure through five deuces and finally converted her fourth break point to force a tiebreak.

The tiebreak was just as tight but the Ukrainian sealed it with her 21st winner, a blistering forehand that was just too fast and too deep for 34-year-old Azarenka.

Dayana Yastremska

IMAGE: Dayana Yastremska celebrates after winning. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters

Both players took lengthy bathroom breaks after the first set and Belarusian Azarenka came out firing, racing to a 3-0 lead almost before Yastremska had time to catch her breath.

The Ukrainian stalled Azarenka's progress and then went back on the attack, finding her rasping winners again to win five straight games.

She held her nerve serving for the match two games later, lashing across one more big backhand to set up a meeting with Czech world number 50 Linda Noskova in her first Grand Slam quarter-final.

Noskova into quarters after Svitolina retires

Elina Svitolina

IMAGE: Ukraine's Elina Svitolina receives medical attention during her fourth round match against Czechia's Linda Noskova. Photograph: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters

Czech teenager Linda Noskova reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final after former world number three Elina Svitolina retired due to an injury.

The Ukrainian 19th seed was trailing 3-0 in the first set and had already taken a medical timeout when she was forced to quit due to what appeared to be an issue with her lower back.

Kalinskaya stuns Paolini

Anna Kalinskaya

IMAGE: Russia's Anna Kalinskaya celebrates after winning her fourth round match against Italy's Jasmine Paolini. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/Reuters

Anna Kalinskaya of Russia sent Italian 26th seed Jasmine Paolini packing after sealing a 6-4, 6-2 win to reach her first Australian Open quarter-final.

Source: REUTERS
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