The semi-finals have been set. Just 4 singles matches left in the first grand slam of the year. Man has this Aussie Open flown by.

The quarter-finals yesterday began with the ladies and it was between qualifier Yastremska and unseeded 19 year old Noskova. Both players impressively were picked by someone in the fantasy league. This one went the way of the qualifier. Yastremska winning the match in straight sets 6-3; 6-4 to book her spot in the semi-finals.

The first mens match on was between 3rd seed, Medvedev, who had, had a up and down tournament and Hurkacz the 9th seed who had looked good so far in 2024. Medvedev edged the first set taking it 7-4 in the tiebreak but it was Hurkacz who played the better tennis in the 2nd set as he took it 6-2 with 2 breaks. Medvedev however regrouped well to stop the momentum which was behind Hurkacz. The 3rd seed hitting back with a 6-3 set to himself meaning he was 1 set away from another grand slam semi-final. Medvedev had the break in the 4th set but was unable to close out the match and it was Hurkacz who rattled off a few games at the end of the 4th set to take the match into a decider. Medvedev looked the more exhausted out of the 2 players however his tennis IQ allowed him to come through in 5 sets. He shortened points when he could and played more at the net which is very unlike Medvedev. He took the set 6-4 and booked his spot in the Aussie Open semi-final. He has made the final here twice in 2021 and 2022. Can he make it to the final for a 3rd time?

The last ladies match in the quarter-final stage was between 12th seed, Zheng, and unseeded Kalinskaya. The 12th seed, has yet to play a seed in this Australian Open and her quarter-final match was no different. Both girls started the match pretty tight which was understandable considering what was on the line. It was Kalinskaya who held her nerve in the opening set tiebreak which she took 7-4. However Zheng was starting to play better and better as the opening set went on and she continued on that trend in the 2nd set. The 12th seed striking at 3-3 and winning the next 3 games on the trot to take the 2nd set and take the match to a decider. The decider was not very close as Zheng raced away dropping just 1 game to book her spot in the Australian Open Semi-Finals. She continues to make history for China who has only had Li Na in the past. Can she go all the way?

The last match on was between 6th seed, Zverev, and 2nd seed, Alcaraz. This match was going to be a tight one on paper with many giving Alcaraz the edge as he had played 5 hours less tennis to get to this point in the tournament. However it was Zverev who played flawless tennis for the first 2 and a half sets while Alcaraz was far from his best. The 2nd seed’s head was scrambled and he was overplaying as he attempted to find his best tennis against Zverev. Zverev won the first 2 sets 6-1; 6-3 in what was an impressive display of tennis and then was 5-3 up in the 2nd before the match became a contest. Alcaraz managed to somehow break the German for the first time and hold serve to even the match at 5-5 and then the set headed to a tiebreak. Oh and what a tiebreak from the 20 year old. He took it 7-2 to take the match into a 4th set. It looked as if momentum was shifting and Alcaraz was playing better but then he was broken in the very first game of the 4th. The Spaniard hit right back however with a break of his own to make it 1-1. 3 holds each and it was 4-4 and we were deep in the 4th set. Tension was rising. The 9th game just summed up the match as Alcaraz just could not find the court and he was broken once again and Zverev had another chance to serve it out. This time there was no mistake and the 6th seeded German had his very first win at a grand slam against a top 5 opponent. He will play Medvedev for a place in the final on Sunday. Could the German win the United Cup and the Australian Open? That would be a story and a half.

Onto the fantasy league leaderboard and ‘Tennis Addicts’ who now officially have the best team of ladies lead the way on 204 points. ‘Lorna’s Lucky 13’ move back up into 2nd. 6 points behind our leaders. ‘Serve with Eish’ sit in 3rd with ‘Faulty Feet’ moving down to 4th. ‘Aussie Guess’ and ‘Fraud Watch’ sit in a joint 5th to round up the prize positions. However 7th placed, ‘Left Back in the Changerooms’ is just 1 point behind the pair in 5th. ‘Match Point’ remain in the wooden spoon position and are now 16 points behind their nearest challengers.

Ladies Semi-Finals Today

• Gauff(4) vs Sabalenka(2) (Live)
• Yastremska vs Zheng(12) (12H00)

Jared

Jared matriculated in 2020 from Wynberg Boys High School in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. His passion for tennis afforded him the opportunity of travelling to Europe. He is a quizmaster and a fantasy organiser.