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No, you don’t need to be embarrassed if you’ve never heard of her. Dajana Jastremska (WTA 93) is not a well-known name in women’s tennis. She achieved her best result to date at the Australian Open on her debut in 2019: the third round (final of 16) was her end point. In the same year, the Ukrainian also reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon. She knocked on the door of the top 20, but sank again after a provisional doping ban of six months. She was caught using Mesterolone, an anabolic drug. She was later exonerated after an independent court ruled that her positive test was the result of an infection.
In her fifth appearance at the Australian Open, 23-year-old Jastremska completely erased these unpleasant memories. She has now won eight games in a row. For example, Varvara Grasjeva (WTA 39) and Emma Navarro (WTA 26) were defeated, but above all: last week they also defeated the Czech Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova (WTA 7) and the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (WTA 22). -time winner in Melbourne.
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Last night the Czech Linda Noskova (WTA 50) was no match for Jastremska: 6-3, 6-4. The Ukrainian is only the second player since May 1968 to advance from qualifying to the semi-finals of the Australian Open; Australian Christine Dorey did this for Jastremska in 1978.
Support for the home front
As Yastremska – dressed in blue and yellow in reference to the Ukrainian flag – left the track, she scribbled a message into one of the cameras expressing her support for the struggling people in her home country. “I am proud of our fighting people from Ukraine,” she wrote. “I’m trying to signal to Ukraine that I’m really proud of it,” she later added.
In the semifinals, Jastremska will face the Russian Anna Kalinskaya (WTA 75), who defeated the twelfth seeded Chinese Qinwen Zheng (WTA 15). The Belarusian defending champion Aryna Sabalenka (WTA 2) and the American Coco Gauff (WTA 4) have already qualified for the other semi-final on Tuesday. The only qualifier in history to ever win a Grand Slam tournament was Emma Raducanu. He triumphed at the US Open 2021.
Zverev and Medvedev among men
In the men’s event, Daniil Medvedev fought his way past Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz (ATP 9) in five sets (7-6, 2-6, 6-3, 5-7 and 6-4) to reach the semi-finals. For the 27-year-old Russian, number 3 in the world, it is the third time he has reached the semi-finals Down Under. In his semi-final, Medvedev will face the German Alexander Zverev (ATP 6). He defeated Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (ATP 2) in solid sets (6-1, 6-3, 6-7 and 6-4). On Tuesday, Serbian defending champion Novak Djokovic (ATP 1) and Italian Jannik Sinner (ATP 4) joined the final four. (dsd)
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