DAYANA YASTREMSKA is fast becoming the talk of the town at this year’s Australian Open.
The women’s singles draw at Melbourne Park has so far been very much a tale of two halves.
AFPDayana Yastremska booked her place in the Australian Open semi-finals[/caption]
Instagram @dayana_yastremskayThe Ukrainian is becoming the talk of the town in Melbourne[/caption]
AFPThe 23-year-old is doing her country proud[/caption]
In the bottom section, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has bulldozed her way to the semi-finals, where she will meet reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff.
While many would have picked a Sabalenka vs Gauff semi-final, the top half has been anything but predictable.
Top seed Iga Swiatek was dumped out by teenager Linda Noskova in round three, while world No.3 Elena Rybakina lost even earlier than that, falling to Anna Blinkova in just her second match.
Amid the chaos has emerged qualifier Yastremska, the multi-talented football-loving singer who now stands just two wins from history.
The Ukrainian, 23, would become just the second player in history to win a grand slam as a qualifier should she go on to claim the title, a feat only previously achieved by Emma Raducanu at the US Open in 2021.
Top seed in qualifying, Yastremska stormed past Lea Boskovic, Valentini Grammatikopoulou and Maya Joint to march into the main draw.
She then signalled her intent by trouncing Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova for the loss of just three games in round one.
Yastremska backed up her statement victory by beating Varvara Gracheva, Emma Navarro and two-time former Aussie Open champion Victoria Azarenka.
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Following this morning’s 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Linda Noskova, Yastremska finds herself in the final four, where she’ll meet China’s Zheng Qinwen.
So the question on everyone’s lips at Melbourne Park is, where has she been?
Yastremska reached the third round of the Australian Open as an 18-year-old in 2019.
That year, tournament organiser Craig Tiley paid for emergency surgery for her mother, Marina, whose eye had to be saved after a champagne bottle exploded in her hands.
By the following season’s Aussie Open Yastremska reached a career high world No.22, before facing a turbulent few years.
GettyYastremska celebrates her win over Linda Noskova[/caption]
Instagram @dayana_yastremskayThe world No.93 is defying the odds in Melbourne[/caption]
Instagram @dayana_yastremskayYastremska has her eyes set on returning to the top[/caption]
Instagram @dayana_yastremskayYastremska enjoyed an evening at the F1 last year[/caption]
HIDDEN TALENT
During the pandemic, Yastremska showed off one of her other keen interests by releasing two singles.
Her songs Thousands of Me and Favourite Track were released in the summer of 2020, and she recently teased that she had some new music in the works.
“In February I hope that one new song will come out,” she teased.
BAN SCARE
Three years ago Yastremska received a provisional doping ban after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
She protested her innocence and six months later was allowed to play again after an independent tribunal ruled that her positive test was merely the result of contamination.
Yastremska subsequently struggled to return to her former ranking, and then in February 2022 she was forced to leave her home with her sister after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Instagram @dayana_yastremskayYastremska and her younger sister Ivanna were forced to flee Ukraine[/caption]
FLEEING WAR
The Odesa-born star posted a picture of herself alongside her younger sister Ivanna, writing: “After spending two nights in the underground parking, my parents made a decision at any cost to send me and my little sister out of Ukraine.
“Mom, Dad, we love you very much, take care of yourself!!! I love you my country! Ukrainians take care of your lives.”
Yastremska, who chose to pursue tennis having been a promising swimmer and gymnast, was eventually joined in France by mother Marina, while her father Ivan remained in Ukraine.
With Marina now able to join her at tournaments again, world No.93 Yastremska’s results are beginning to pick up.
LOVE OF TRAVEL
In addition to her music, Yastremska also loves to follow football when off the court.
She is a Shakhtar Donetsk fan, and has posted pictures of herself at a game to her 164,000 Instagram followers.
Yastremska loves to upload glamorous snaps from on and off the court during her travels around the world on the tour.
Whether by the beach or on a city break, she always adds a sprinkle of style to a destination.
Right now her destination is the Australian Open semi-finals, and she’ll be desperate to go all the way.
Instagram @dayana_yastremskayHer tennis career has taken her to some exotic locations[/caption]
Instagram @dayana_yastremskayYastremska supports Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk[/caption]
The tennis star poses with a Shakhtar shirt
Instagram @dayana_yastremskayYastremska loves to travel around the world[/caption]
Instagram @dayana_yastremskayThe 23-year-old has 164,000 Instagram followers[/caption]
Instagram @dayana_yastremskayShe loves to share snaps from her travels[/caption]