Yastremska serves up an Australian Open surprise, Azarenka the main course.

WTA
Monday, 22 January 2024 at 04:35
yastremska 2
Dayana Yastremska once again surprises by eliminating Victoria Azarenka with a score of 7-6(6), 6-4 in two hours and 10 minutes, securing her spot in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open, her best performance in a Grand Slam to date.
The 23-year-old Yastremska entered the match with nothing to lose, reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the second time in her career (the first being in 2019 Wimbledon), this time coming from the qualifiers with a ranking of world No. 93.
Undoubtedly, the pressure was on the former world No. 1 Azarenka, who advanced by eliminating the 11th seed Jelena Ostapenko, in addition to being a two-time champion in Melbourne in 2012 and 2013.
In the early stages, Yastremska faced some difficulties in her first service game but managed to overcome it. After both players held their service games in the fourth game, the first break came in favor of the Ukrainian, taking a 3-1 lead. However, the Belarusian quickly took control of the match, winning the next four games consecutively with two breaks.
With a 5-3 advantage, the former world No. 1 had the opportunity to serve for the set, but she began to feel the pressure, and the score remained level at 5-5. Azarenka secured a new break and had the chance to win the set with her service, but she failed to capitalize on her two set points, and finally, Yastremska secured the break on her fourth opportunity. The tie-break was closely contested, with Azarenka gaining four mini-breaks and Yastremska securing five, ultimately winning the set 7-6(6).
After a toilet break requested by Azarenka, the game resumed after 7 minutes, and Yastremska's level dropped physically after six consecutive matches in the tournament, four of them in three sets and over 10 hours of time on court. Azarenka regained control of the match and quickly took a 3-0 lead.
The Ukrainian showed that her game is not just about power, using her good hands to move Azarenka around the court. Yastremska won a total of five consecutive games, capitalizing on Azarenka's errors. With the score at 5-3, Azarenka defended her service for the last time, but she couldn't force a break, and Yastremska ultimately secured the victory.
In the quarterfinals, she will face another surprise of the tournament, the 19-year-old Linda Noskova, who advanced due to the retirement of Elina Svitolina and defeated none other than the world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the previous round.

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