As part of the 12th playing day of this year’s Australian Open, we will get to know a brand new Grand Slam finalist as well as the composition of the battle for the trophy in the women’s singles. The reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff (19) and the defending champion Aryna Sabalenková (25), who last met in the final of last year’s US Open, will be the first to compete for a place in the final. The winner will face Dajana Jastremská (23) or Qinwen Zheng (21) on Saturday. Both the Ukrainian and the Chinese are in the semi-finals of a major for the first time in their careers.
Overview of the most interesting, Thursday 25 January.
Women’s Semi-Finals
Gauffová (4-USA) – Sabalenkova (2-) | Rod Laver Arena (09:30 CET)
Jastremská (Ukr.) – Qinwen Zheng (12-China) | Rod Laver Arena (11:00 CET)
Coco Gauffová (4th) – Aryna Sabalenková (2nd) | Rod Laver Arena (09:30 CET)
Coco Gauff advanced to her third Grand Slam semi-final without facing any of the seeds. Her highest-ranked opponent was former local junior champion Marta Kosťuková, whom she defeated in the quarterfinals 7:6, 6:7, 6:2 after more than three hours. She overcame a 1:5 deficit in the opening act.
For the first time in the tournament, she needed all three sets, in addition, she averted two set point threats. The reigning US Open winner dominated the other matches at this year’s Australian Open, not even allowing a single break point opportunity to compatriot Alycia Parks in the third round or Magdalena Frechová in the round of 16.
The 19-year-old American is within reach of her 50th anniversary win at Grand Slam events. Since the beginning of August, she has an excellent record of 34:4, and last summer she celebrated her first triumph at the WTA 500 (Washington), WTA 1000 (Cincinnati) and Grand Slams (US Open). She started this year with a successful defense in Auckland and is still undefeated (10-0).
The Australian Open is the last Grand Slam in which she starts as a teenager. On Thursday, she will try to defend her invincibility in the semi-finals of the majors, the year before at the clay French Open, she swept away Martina Trevisanová 6:3, 6:1, and last year she beat Karolina Muchova 6:4, 7:5 on her home soil in Flushing Meadows.
Business card of Coco Gauff. (@livesport)
Coco Gauffová – This season
Best results: Auckland (triumf)
The greatest achievements on outdoor concrete: Auckland (triumf)
Balance: 10:0
Balance from the last 10 matches: 10:0
Balance on outdoor concrete: 10:0
Record against TOP 10 players: 0:0 (career 16:23)
Balance in the Grand Slam semifinals: 0:0 (career 2:0)
Balance in the semi-finals: 1-0 (career 8-9)
Coco Gauffová – Australian Open
Career record: 12:4
Best result: semi-final (2024)
Last year’s result: round of 16
Balance in the semi-finals: 0:0
Dress rehearsal: Auckland (triumf)
Journey through the tournament: Schmiedlová (6:3, 6:0), Dolehideová (7:6, 6:2), Parksová (6:0, 6:2), Frechová (6:1, 6:2), Kosťuková (7:6, 6:7, 6:2)
Aryna Sabalenková reached the semifinals at the sixth Grand Slam in a row, becoming only the third woman to do so in this century. The world number two did not give Barbora Krejčíková a chance in the quarterfinals (6:2, 6:3) and continues to dominate in Melbourne Park. The defending champion did not allow her opponents more than three games in any set.
In five matches, she lost just 16 games combined. She entered this year’s Australian Open with commanding wins over teenage qualifiers Ella Seidel and Brenda Fruhvirtová, and later easily dealt with Lesja Curenko (6:0, 6:0) and Amanda Anisimov. In Melbourne, she managed 18 of the last 20 matches.
While she is undefeated in the quarter-final duels at the Grand Slams, the 25-year-old Belarusian is not doing very well in the semifinals. Although she has played the most of all the semi-finalists of this year’s Australian Open, she probably won’t brag about a 2:5 record at this stage of the majors. She only succeeded at last year’s Australian Open and US Open.
She has been waiting for another title since May’s first time on clay “thousands” in Madrid, although she was in the semi-finals six times after that, including this year’s final at the general in Brisbane. She is only two victories away from being the first since compatriot Viktoria Azarenková to defend her triumph at the opening Grand Slam of the season in 2013.
Business card of Aryna Sabalenková. (@livesport)
Aryna Sabalenková – This season
Best results: Brisbane (Final)
The greatest achievements on outdoor concrete: Brisbane (Final)
Balance: 9:1
Balance from the last 10 matches: 9:1
Balance on outdoor concrete: 9:1
Record against TOP 10 players: 0:1 (career 29:32)
Balance in the Grand Slam semifinals: 0:0 (career 2:5)
Balance in the semi-finals: 1:0 (career 25:16)
Aryna Sabalenková – Australian Open
Career record: 17:5
Best result: triumph (2023)
Last year’s result: triumph
Balance in the semi-finals: 1:0
Dress rehearsal: Brisbane (Final)
Journey through the tournament: Seidelová (6:0, 6:1), B. Fruhvirtová (6:3, 6:2), (28) Curenková (6:0, 6:0), Anisimovová (6:3, 6:2), ( 9) Krejčíková (6:2, 6:3)
Mutual balance: Gauff leads 4-2, the first time they met at Lexington 2020 and the last time in the final of last year’s US Open. Four of the six fights were decided by the third set and two by a tie-break in the deciding act. For the first time since 2011, the finalists of the previous year’s US Open meet in Melbourne. Sabalenková is deservedly the favorite in her current form.
Dajana Jastremská (93rd) – Qinwen Zheng (15th) | Rod Laver Arena (11:00 CET)
Dajana Jastremská continues her fabulous and historic ride in Melbourne. In her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, she beat Linda Nosková 6:3, 6:4, defeating world number one Iga Šwiateková. She needed only 78 minutes against the Czech Republic and became the first Ukrainian semifinalist in the history of the Australian Open.
The 23-year-old Ukrainian is the fifth qualifier in the Grand Slam semifinals in the open era and is only two wins away from emulating Emma Raducanu’s run at the US Open 2021. Specifically, in Melbourne, only Christine Dorey (1978, did not advance to the finals) managed to go from qualifying to the semifinals. , but at that time the spider was composed of only 32 players.
At the same time, the former world number 21 was not doing well before the trip to Melbourne Park. On the highest circuit, she reached the last winning streak in major competitions and the last quarter-final the year before last on grass in Birmingham, she has not passed the first round of the majors since the US Open 2020 and spent most of last year outside the TOP 100 ranking.
It is all the more surprising and shocking that she has already won eight matches at this year’s Australian Open. She spent a total of 13 hours and 39 minutes on the courts. While she needed three sets in all three qualifying duels, she defeated Grand Slam champions Viktoria Azarenkova and Markéta Vondroušová without losing a set in the main competition.
Business card of Dajana Jastremská. (@livesport)
Dajana Jastremská – This season
Best results: Australian Open (semifinals)
The greatest achievements on outdoor concrete: Australian Open (semifinals)
Balance: 10:1
Balance from the last 10 matches: 9:1
Balance on outdoor concrete: 10:1
Record against TOP 20 players: 1:0 (career 15:23)
Balance in the Grand Slam semifinals: 0:0 (career 0:0)
Balance in the semi-finals: 0:0 (career 5:2)
Dajana Jastremská – Australian Open
Career record: 8:4
Best result: semi-final (2024)
Last year’s result: 1. round
Balance in the semi-finals: 0:0
Dress rehearsal: Brisbane (Round 1)
Journey through the tournament: (7) Vondroušová (6:1, 6:2), Gračová (6:3, 6:2), (27) Navarro (6:2, 2:6, 6:1), (18) Azarenkova (7: 6, 6:4), Nosková (6:3, 6:4)
Qinwen Zheng made it to the Grand Slam quarterfinals at the second attempt. While she did not reach the semifinals at last year’s US Open, she was already celebrating at the Australian Open. However, she did not advance for free, against the unseeded Anna Kalinská, she had to turn the match around, defeating the 75th ranked player only after two hours and 20 minutes 6:7, 6:3, 6:1.
In three of the five matches, she had to go to the deciding act, in addition to the fight with Kalinska, she also faced Ashlyn Krueger in the first round and then in the third against Yafan Wang (she defeated the compatriot only in the decisive super tie-break). Thanks to her hard-fought advance to the semifinals, she will become the second Chinese member of the TOP 10 ranking in history on Monday.
The two-time junior major semi-finalist is only the third Chinese Grand Slam semi-finalist in history, following idol Na Li, who dominated the Australian Open in 2014, and Jie Zheng. It was at this venue that she reached her first semi-final on the highest circuit, where she lost to Simona Halep the previous year at the Melbourne Summer Set event.
In the last six months, the 21-year-old Chinese woman has been in life form. After winning her first WTA clay court title in Palermo, she reached the quarterfinals at the US Open, triumphed at the WTA 500 in Zhengzhou and reached the final at the WTA Elite Trophy. In the last 34 duels, he has a record of 27:7, not counting the triumph at the Asian Games.
Vizitka Qinwen Zheng. (@Livesport)
Qinwen Zheng – This season
Best results: first individual tournament
The greatest achievements on outdoor concrete: first individual tournament
Balance: 7:1
Balance from the last 10 matches: 8:2
Balance on outdoor concrete: 7:1
Record against TOP 50-100 players: 5-0 (career 33-12)
Balance in the Grand Slam semifinals: 0:0 (career 0:0)
Balance in the semi-finals: 0:0 (career 4:2)
Qinwen Zheng – Australian Open
Career record: 7:2
Best result: semi-final (2024)
Last year’s result: 2nd round
Balance in the semi-finals: 0:0
Dress rehearsal: United Cup (bilance 2:1)
Journey through the tournament: Kruegerová (3:6, 6:2, 6:3), Boulterová (6:3, 6:3), Yafan Wang (6:4, 2:6, 7:6), Dodinová (6:0, 6: 3), Kalinská (6:7, 6:3, 6:1)
Mutual balance: 0:0. Jastremská, a finalist at the 2020 Australian event in Adelaide, faced only TOP 50 players on her way to the semi-finals, while Zheng faced only unseeded opponents. No previous experience will be sufficient preparation for the fight, which will represent a unique chance for both of them to reach the Grand Slam final.
Program of the 12th game day
ROD LAVER ARENA (from 02:00 CET)
1. legends
2. Machac/Z. Zhang (CR/China) – Bopanna/Ebden (2-India/Aust.) / at the earliest at 03:00 CET
3. Bolelli/Vavassori (It.) – Hanfmann/Köpfer (Ger.)
4. Gauffová (4-USA) – Sabalenková (2-) / at the earliest at 09:30 CET
5. Jastremská (Ukr.) – Qinwen Zheng (12-China)
MARGARET COURT ARENA (from 02:00 CET)
1. legends
2. legends
3. Hunterová/Siniakova (3-Austr./CR) – S. Hsieh/Mertensová (2-Taiwan/Belg.) / at the earliest at 05:00 CET
1573 ARENA (from 01:00 CET)
1. wheelchairs
Junior 2nd singles
3. junior women’s singles
4. Brunclík/Frydrych (5-CR/Brit.) – Bigun/Leach (USA)
COURT 3 (from 01:00 CET)
1. junior women’s singles
2. Kumstat (Czech Republic) – Jones (16-Austr.)
3. junior women’s singles
4th junior singles
5. Pastry/Stuseková (CR/German) – Klugmanová/Xuová (2-Brit.)
Complete program | Women’s singles results
The article was originally published for Livesport News.
2024-01-24 23:07:00
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