News Feed

Ukraine's Yastremska reaches Grand Slam semifinals, repeating national record

1 min read
Ukraine's Yastremska reaches Grand Slam semifinals, repeating national record
Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska (R) celebrates match point during their quarterfinals singles match against Czech Linda Noskova during day eleven of the 2024 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Jan. 24, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska advanced to the Australian Open semifinal, beating Czech Linda Noskova on Jan. 24.

Yastremska outed Noskova in two sets, 6-3 and 6-4, to reach the Grand Slam semifinal for the first time.

The 23-year-old Ukrainian has already won eight matches in a row in Melbourne, becoming the second woman in history who will play in the Australian Open semifinal as a qualifier. The first one was Australian Christine Matison in 1978.

"It is something new for me and for my generation because the last time it happened was a long time ago," Yastremska said. "I think it is nice to make history because, at that time, I was not born."

The fifth Ukrainian woman to ever reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal, Yastremska also repeated the national record at Grand Slams, becoming the second Ukrainian female player after Elina Svitolina to advance to the semifinals.

Yastremska will face either Zheng Qinwen of China or Russian Anna Kalinskaya, who is playing under a neutral flag, on Jan. 25.

Ukrainian is two wins away from repeating Emma Raducanu’s achievement, who is the only qualifier in history to win a major title with her 2021 US Open victory.

Ukraine’s Yastremska advances to Grand Slam quarterfinals, setting another national record
Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska reached the Australian Open quarter-final, knocking out Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, who is playing under a neutral flag, on Jan. 22.
Article image
Avatar
Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Read more
News Feed
Video

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, war has become a daily reality for thousands of Ukrainian children. Some Ukrainian military units, such as the Azov Brigade, offer boot camps for teenagers to teach them the basics of self-defense, first aid, dry firing, and other survival skills — helping them prepare for both the realities of today and the uncertainties of the future.

Show More