EMMA RADUCANU? DAYANA YASTREMSKA AUSTRALIAN OPEN QUALIFIER RUN REPLICATING IS JUST A FEW GAMES AWAY.
Dayana Yastremska is on track to duplicate the feats of Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who won her first Grand Slam championship as a qualifier at the 2021 US Open, as she keeps winning in the Australian Open in 2024.
The Ukrainian won 7-6(6) 6-4 over her Belarusian opponent, Victoria Azarenka, the reigning champion, in a tough fourth round match. With her victory, she guaranteed a spot in the Grand Slam last eight for the first time in her career. Should she overcome emerging Czech star Linda Noskova, she would play her way into the semifinals.
Yastremska might be able to repeat Raducanu’s US Open success.
The 23-year-old qualified for the Australian Open main draw by making it through the qualifying rounds. Yastremska never looked back after overcoming Marketa Vondrousova, the Wimbledon winner, in the opening round. She overcame opponents to make it to the quarterfinals for the first time.
Yastremska is now only three victories away from winning her maiden Grand Slam championship, and she might join Raducanu as one of the very few players in the Open Era to win a Major title as a qualifier. The British woman became the first player to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier in the Open Era in 2021 when she swept through New York and defeated Leylah Fernandez in the championship match to claim her first Grand Slam title.
