Tennis-Yastremska happy to avoid qualifiers after Australian Open run ends

Jan 25, 2024; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in action against Qinwen Zheng of China in the semi-final of the women’s singles at the Australian Open. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports

(Reuters) – Dayana Yastremska did not feel too dejected by her semi-final defeat at the Australian Open as she knows her run would have boosted her rankings so that she can get direct entry into tournaments rather than playing in the qualifiers.

The Ukrainian became the first women’s qualifier to reach the Australian Open semi-finals since 1978 after she began the tournament ranked 93rd in the world, and is projected to move up to 28th when the new rankings are released on Monday despite her 6-4 6-4 loss to China’s Zheng Qinwen on Thursday.

The 23-year-old had been ranked a career high 21st in the world before her career was derailed by a provisional doping ban in 2021, which was later lifted after an independent tribunal accepted that her positive test was the result of contamination.

“I think it was a nice, I will say, comeback for me to get into the top 30, because for years I couldn’t get back to top 50 or 60 even,” Yastremska said.

“So it’s a nice bonus, because now I can finally play the main draw at the Grand Slams, which gives me really priority to feel a bit more fresh.”

Since her return after the provisional ban, Yastremska had fallen either in qualifying or in the first round at nine successive Grand Slams, but her improved ranking will now help her future schedule.

“The ranking actually plays a very big role, because the last four years I didn’t know my schedule, I didn’t know where I will get in, where I’m not going to get in,” Yastremska said.

“I had to play week after week. I can say I was living at the tournaments. Now, for example, I know where I can play, where I can rest, and it’s more comfortable to live like that when you know for a while your schedule.”

Yastremska’s amazing run was brought to an end by Zheng but the Ukrainian gained a lot of confidence during her stay in Melbourne which included defeating two Grand Slam winners, Marketa Vondrousova and Victoria Azarenka.

“I’m happy about it. I’m not sad about the loss but I still think it was a great tournament for me,” Yastremska said.

“Usually in Grand Slams you get seven matches to play, and I have played nine matches, so I’m very proud of myself.

“I’m not going to look too much forward but I feel like I can, one day I can win a Grand Slam.”

(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Pritha Sarkar)