Qualifier Dayana Yastremska takes on 12th seed Qinwen Zheng in the second semi-final of the 2024 Australian Open on Thursday early morning ET at the Rod Laver Arena. Both the players are first-time semifinalists at the Happy Slam. They will look to make it count and seal a historic spot in the final.
To reach the final four, Zheng has had an easier path. She has not played any seeded players, with World No.54 Katie Boulter as her highest-ranked opponent. She beat the Brit in straight sets in the second round, also collecting wins over Ashley Krueger, Wang Yafan, and Oceane Dodin. The Chinese star defeated Anna Kalinskaya in the quarter-finals, inflicting a bagel after being a set down. Of her five wins, two have come in straight sets.
Yastremska, meanwhile, is on an incredible run after the qualifying rounds. Not many gave her a chance of advancing deep after all three of her qualifying matches went into three sets. She upset the reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the first round. Then, she beat Varvara Gracheva and #27 seed Emma Navarro. She upset another Grand Slam winner, Victoria Azarenka, in the fourth round before defeating Linda Noskova in the quarters. The Ukrainian has dropped only one set in the main draw, against Navarro.
The duo have never played each other. Yastremska may have produced some upsets, but arguably none of her opponents were in good form. Zheng, though, has been in good touch over the past few months, establishing herself as a serious contender. Hence, Yastremska’s dream run could end against the World No.15, who has a strong baseline game. On paper, the latter should have no trouble beating the World No.93, who might pose a threat because of her momentum but will likely fizzle out. The SportsRush predicts Qinwen Zheng to win in three sets.
The pair will face off on Thursday, January 25, not before 8:45 p.m. local time (4:45 AM ET). ESPN and Tennis Channel will stream the match in the USA, whereas 9Now has the rights for Australia. Weather is expected to be cloudy and humid, with temperatures in the low 20s Celsius. Rain will not be a problem since the Rod Laver Arena has retractable roofs.
Qinwen Zheng and Dayana Yastremska form guide ahead of 2024 Australian Open
Zheng and Yastremska have had contrasting fortunes over the last couple of years. The Chinese athlete rose to newer heights, winning the 2022 WTA Newcomer of the Year laurel. However, Yastremska fell from her career-best rank of World No.21 after a provisional doping ban in 2021. She has been rebuilding ever since.
Qinwen Zheng had a great 2023, firmly making a place for herself amongst the top players. After a quiet first half, she bloomed in the latter half of the season. She reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 US Open, her best Grand Slam result before the 2024 Australian Open semi-final. She won two WTA titles and finished runner-up in the WTA Elite Trophy to end the year as World No.15.
Zheng kickstarted her 2024 season with the United Cup, leading China to the quarter-finals. She came into the Australian Open as World No.15 with a 2-1 record for the year.
Dayana Yastremska spent 2023 largely outside the top 100 and met with early exits from almost every WTA Tour event. She fared better on the WTA Challenger circuit but ended the year as World No.106. She made it to the main draw of the 2024 Brisbane International but lost in the first round. The Ukrainian entered the AO as World No.93 and 2-1 for the year.
