The semifinal clash between Dayana Yastremska and Qinwen Zheng in the 2024 Australian Open Women’s Singles tournament is set to take place on Thursday at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena.
Dayana Yastremska has emerged as the biggest surprise of the tournament. The Ukrainian player was ranked 93rd in the WTA Rankings before the start of the Australian Open, but she has defied the odds by reaching the semifinals.
Odds Provided by Sports Odds Direct:
- Dayana Yastremska: -175
- Qinwen Zheng: +155
Yastremska, who entered the tournament with odds longer than +15000 to win, has proven the skeptics wrong. She has won four matches 2-0 and one match 2-1. The only set she lost was to Emma Navarro in the third round. She then convincingly defeated Victoria Azarenka in straight sets and dispatched Linda Noskova in her most recent match in under an hour and a half.
Despite being considered an underdog in her last three matches, Yastremska’s confidence is high as she prepares to face Zheng.
Qinwen Zheng, ranked 15th in the WTA Rankings, is one of the contenders for the trophy in Melbourne. However, her journey hasn’t been flawless, as she dropped a set in three matches at the 2024 Australian Open. In the quarterfinal, she overcame Anna Kalinskaya 2-1 after nearly two and a half hours on the court.
Kalinskaya, ranked 75th in the world, is the second-highest-ranked player Zheng has defeated so far, with Katie Boulter (ranked 54th) being the highest. While Zheng’s journey may not seem as impressive on paper, she will earn significant credit if she manages to defeat Yastremska.
