Defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the finals at Melbourne Park on Thursday, taking down American teenager Coco Gauff in the semifinals 7-6, 6-4. The match marked Gauff’s first appearance in the tournament’s semifinals and the win made Sabalenka the first woman since Serena Williams to reach the Australian Open finals two years in a row.
Their quarterfinals in Melbourne couldn’t have been more different. Gauff survived an error-filled game against Marta Kostyuk with a 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 6-2 win that took three hours and eight minutes. Meanwhile, Sabalenka took less than an hour to claim her 6-2, 6-3 victory over Barbora Krejcikova. Sabalenka has been a force to be reckoned with in this tournament, dropping just 16 games and playing a combined 5.25 hours through five rounds.
No. 12 Qinwen Zheng got the best of Dayana Yastremska in the semifinal round as she came away with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. Yastremska, currently ranked No. 93, was the first qualifier in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam seminal since Christine Dorey in 1978.
On the men’s side, Djokovic reached his record-extending 48th Grand Slam semifinal with a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win against American Taylor Fritz. The 10-time Australian Open champion has now won 32 consecutive matches at Melbourne.
Djokovic’s next opponent will be Jannik Sinner, who beat Andrey Rublev 6-4,7-6 (7-5), 6-3 to reach his first ever Australian Open semifinal. This will be a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon men’s singles semifinal, which Djokovic won in three sets before losing the championship game to Carlos Alcaraz.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev took down No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4 in a quarterfinal match Wednesday. Alcaraz lost the first two sets but won the third in a comeback attempt. Zverev’s ankle needed treatment before the fourth set, but it didn’t slow him down and he avoided going to a fifth.
The German star Zverev advanced to his seventh major semifinal and will be taking on Daniil Medvedev — who did go into a five-set battle with Hubert Hurkacz before winning 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Here is all you need to know about the 2024 US Open:
How to watch the 2024 Australian Open
- Dates: Jan. 13-27
- Where: Melbourne Park, Australia
- Watch: ESPN, ABC, Tennis Channel
- Stream: fubo (try for free)
Men’s seeding
- Novak Djokovic (SRB)
- Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
- Daniil Medvedev (N/A)
- Jannik Sinner (ITA)
- Andrey Rublev (N/A)
- Alexander Zverev (GER)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
- Holger Rune (DEN)
- Hubert Hurkacz (POL)
- Alex De Minaur (AUS)
- Casper Ruud (NOR)
- Taylor Fritz (USA)
- Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)
- Tommy Paul (USA)
- Karen Khachanov (N/A)
- Ben Shelton (USA)
- Frances Tiafoe (USA)
- Nicolas Jarry (CHL)
- Cameron Norrie (GBR)
- Adrian Mannarino (FRA)
- Ugo Humbert (FRA)
- Francisco Cerundolo (ARG)
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP)
- Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
- Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)
- Sebastian Baez (ARG)
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
- Tallon Griekspoor (NLD)
- Sebastian Korda (USA)
- Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG)
- Alexander Bublik (KAZ)
- Jiri Lehecka (CZE)
Women’s seeding
- Iga Swiatek (POL)
- Aryna Sabalenka (N/A)
- Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
- Coco Gauff (USA)
- Jessica Pegula (USA)
- Ons Jabeur (TUN)
- Marketa Vondrousova (CZE)
- Maria Sakkari (GRE)
- Barbora Krejcikova (CZE)
- Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA)
- Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)
- Qinwen Zheng (CHN)
- Liudmila Samsonova (N/A)
- Daria Kasatkina (N/A)
- Veronika Kudermetova (N/A)
- Caroline Garcia (FRA)
- Ekaterina Alexandrova (N/A)
- Victoria Azarenka (N/A)
- Elina Svitolina (UKR)
- Magda Linette (POL)
- Donna Vekic (HRV)
- Sorana Cirstea (ROU)
- Anastasia Potapova (N/A)
- Anhelina Kalinina (UKR)
- Elise Mertens (BEL)
- Jasmine Paolini (ITA)
- Emma Navarro (USA)
- Lesia Tsurenko (UKR)
- Zhu Lin (CHN)
- Wang Xinyu (CHN)
- Marie Bouzkova (CZE)
- Leylah Fernandez (CAN)
Men’s semifinal matches:
- No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 4 Jannik Sinner
- No. 3 Daniil Medvedev vs. No. 6 Alexander Zverev
Women’s semifinal matches:
- No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka def. No. 4 Coco Gauff, 7-6, 6-4
- No. 12 Qinwen Zheng def. Dayana Yastremska, 6-4, 6-4
