Semifinals are set at the Australian Open as China's Zheng Qinwen takes on Ukraine qualifier Dayana Yastremska, while Novak Djokovic faces Jannik Sinner in the men's singles.
MELBOURNE, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's top-ranked tennis player Zheng Qinwen reached her maiden Grand Slam semifinal, but men's second seed Carlos Alcaraz was dumped out of the Australian Open by German Alexander Zverev on Wednesday.
The 12th seed Zheng fought back 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-1 to down unseeded Anna Kalinskaya in a compelling night session quarterfinal.
After losing the first set in a tiebreak, Zheng regrouped and slowly gaine d control before racing through the deciding set to continue defying an unpredictable women's tournament.
"I told myself to stay focused. I'm really happy to be in the semifinals," said Zheng, who emerged victorious after two hours and 20 minutes.
The 21-year-old Zheng will start warm favorite against Ukraine qualifier Dayana Yastremska in the semifinals as expectations build for Chinese tennis' biggest star.
Yastremska became just the second women's qualifier in the Open Era to reach the semifinals at Melbourne Park after beating unseeded Czech Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-4 in 78 minutes.
No.93 Yastremska, who reached a career high of 21 in 2020, has beaten three seeds during her giant-killing run in Melbourne, including reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova and two-time former tournament winner Victoria Azarenka.
"I was working on some things that is a little bit personal," the 23-year-old said about her turnaround in form to start the season. "It was more associating with my head and with the way I feel on court.
"I wasn't really putting the goal to go quarters, fourth round, semis or whatever. I was just trying to enjoy playing here."
In the men's quarterfinals, two-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz attempted a late rally but fell to sixth seed Zverev, who overcame a third set slip up to prevail 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4 in three hours and six minutes.
It was the first time Zverev has beaten a top-five player at a Grand Slam as he seeks a maiden Major title. He will next face third seed Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals.
"When you're so close to winning your brain starts going and it's not always helpful, but I'm happy I got there in the end. I fought back well in the fourth set," Zverev said.
Medvedev, a two-time finalist in Melbourne, survived a titanic four-hour tussle with ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Former U.S. Open champion Medvedev has had to muster all his mental and physical resolve to progress to his third semifinal in the last four years at Melbourne Park.
His bid for a second Grand Slam title looked over when he fell down two sets against Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round before digging deep to win a thriller that finished at 3.40am.
Medvedev was similarly pushed to the limit by Hurkacz, who seized the momentum when he forced a fifth set. But the 27-year-old Russian gained the decisive break in the seventh game and he sealed his spot in the final four with a superb drop shot.
"I'm so destroyed right now," Medvedev said after the match. "Not that I ran out of gas, but I was feeling very tough physically in the end of the second set already.
"I'm happy that I managed to win."
The women's semifinals will be played on Thursday with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka playing fourth seed Coco Gauff in a rematch of last year's U.S. Open final, while Zheng and Yastremska will do battle in the night session.
China's Zhang Zhizhen and Tomas Machac face second seeds Matthew Ebden and Rohan Bopanna in the semifinals of the men's doubles. ■
