Ukraine’s fairytale Aussie Open qualifier Dayana Yastremska hails fighters at home against Russian invasion

Daniil Medvedev serves during their quarterfinals singles match against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland during the 2024 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on 24 January 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images)

By Reuters

24 Jan 2024

Dayana Yastremska extended her dream run at the Australian Open on Wednesday to become the first women’s qualifier to reach the semifinals in 45 years but made sure to remind tennis fans about her countrymen fighting in Ukraine.

Getting to the pointy end of the year’s first Grand Slam was not a specific goal for the 23-year-old, but instead she has focused on keeping her emotions in check after battling personal challenges, which she did not want to talk about.

“I was just trying to enjoy playing here,” Yastremska told reporters after beating Czech teen Linda Noskova 6-3 6-4.

Fresh attacks on Ukraine add to the weight on the shoulders of the world No 93, who revealed at an Australian Open lead-up tournament in Brisbane that just before one of her matches her grandmother’s house had been hit by a rocket.

At Melbourne Park she has been undaunted by higher-ranked players across the net, beating former Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova along the way.

“The girls, you know, at any ranking can show amazing game,” she said. “I was doing just my thing and focusing on myself, the way I play. I think that’s working.”

On her way off the court, Yastremska, dressed in blue and yellow matching her country’s flag, scribbled on the camera: “I’m proud of our fighting people from Ukraine.”

She later said the fighters deserve huge respect.

“I think it’s my mission here,” she told reporters. “If I do well, I can get – (it’s) tough to express. I’m just trying to give the signal to Ukraine that I’m really proud of it.”

In the wake of Moscow’s war on Ukraine, Ukrainian players on the tour have refused to shake hands with opponents from Russia and Belarus, which has been used as a staging ground for Russian attacks.

However, a Ukrainian junior, Yelyzaveta Kotliar, caused a stir when she shook hands with her Russian opponent after losing her first-round match this week. Yastremska called it a youthful mistake.

“You know, Ukrainians, we have our position. We are not shaking the hands. But I think she’s still a little bit young. Not so experienced,” Yastremska told reporters.

“But I’m sure that she stands by Ukraine, and I’m sure that she just got too emotional and confused.”

Yastremska is not letting tennis get in the way of her musical ambitions. She is working on releasing a song with two other people in February which she said would bring together three countries.

“You’re going to hear it soon, I hope.”

Yastremska Djokovic Novak Djokovic serves during his Australian Open quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz at Melbourne Park on 23 January 2024. (Photo: Julian Finney / Getty Images)

Djokovic and Gauff

Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff were both made to toil for semifinal places on a blazing Tuesday at the Australian Open, but organisers were spared a ridiculously late finish as Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner roared through the night session.

Two epic battles in the afternoon meant defending women’s champion Sabalenka did not walk onto Rod Laver Arena until well after 9pm, but the Belarusian made light work of Czech Barbora Krejcikova, winning 6-2 6-3 to ease pressure on the schedule.

Read more in Daily Maverick: History beckons Novak Djokovic in final quest for elusive Golden Slam

Fourth seed Sinner then beat fifth seed Andrey Rublev 6-4 7-6(5) 6-3 just before 1.30am to set up a mouth-watering clash with Djokovic and leave a shattered Rublev picking over a 10th defeat in 10 Grand Slam quarterfinals.

Holder Djokovic was expected to breeze past Taylor Fritz, having come into the contest with an 8-0 win-loss record over the 12th-seeded American, but he endured a stern test that lasted four hours to prevail 7-6(3) 4-6 6-2 6-3.

Fritz, who at 26 is a decade younger than his opponent, made the Serb sweat in a tight first set that the American dropped in a tiebreak before drawing level in the contest on a steamy day where both players looked physically drained at times.

Djokovic has had some tough moments on his way to reaching his 48th Grand Slam but is now two wins away from a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and 25th Grand Slam to eclipse the record he shares with Margaret Court.

Gauff Coco Gauff plays a forehand in her quarterfinal against Marta Kostyuk on day 10 of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on 23 January 2024. (Photo: Andy Cheung / Getty Images)

Finding solutions

Invariably he finds a solution and Gauff was forced to do the same against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, admitting she had to win “ugly” as she triumphed 7-6(6) 6-7(3) 6-2 in a scrappy match lasting a little more than three hours.

“Yeah, it was a fight,” the US Open champion Gauff, who had to battle back from 5-1 down in the opening set, said.

She will certainly have to against reigning champion Sabalenka who had far too much power for 2021 French Open champion Krejcikova in a match lasting only 71 minutes.

“I think it was a really great match today. I played really great tennis and I really hope I can just keep playing that way or even better,” Sabalenka, who lost to Gauff in the US Open final, said on court.

Gauff Coco Gauff during her quarterfinal against Marta Kostyuk at the Australian Open in Melbourne on 23 January 2024. (Photo: Andy Cheung / Getty Images)

She certainly made up for any lost time and Sinner also looked determined to avoid the sort of 4am finish that might have damaged his hopes of landing his first Grand Slam.

After cruising through the opening set in 38 minutes he found himself under fire in the second as Rublev upped the power and carved out a succession of break point chances, none of which he could convert.

Rublev's big chance came as he moved 5-1 ahead in the second-set tiebreak, but again Sinner dug his way out of a hole and once he had reeled off six successive points to grab a two-set lead he was never going to falter.

He now turns his focus to world No 1 Djokovic, who he beat twice at the back end of 2023.

Daniil Medvedev serves to Hubert Hurkacz during their Australian Open during quarterfinal at Melbourne Park on 24 January 2024. (Photo: Phil Walter / Getty Images)

Digging deep

Men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev was forced to dig deep into his reserves to outlast Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(4) 2-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 in the tightest of quarterfinals on Wednesday and reach the last four of the Australian Open for the third time.

The Russian, twice a losing finalist at Melbourne Park, went toe-to-toe with the big Pole for almost four energy-sapping hours on Rod Laver Arena before finally setting up a clash with Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev.

Ninth seed Hurkacz, who was playing in only his second Grand Slam quarterfinal but had a winning career record against Medvedev, twice came from a set down and made the Russian work hard for every single point.

Former US Open champion Medvedev, who saved 10 of the 15 break points he faced over the contest, grizzled and moaned his way around the court but finally secured a place in his eighth Grand Slam semifinal on his second match point. Reuters/DM

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Djokovic and Gauff

Finding solutions

Digging deep