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Emma Raducanu's historic feat of winning a Grand Slam as a qualifier stays unbeaten following Dayana Yastremska's Australian Open semifinal exit.
Nearly two and a half years after Raducanu's 2021 US Open win, world No. 93 Yastremska came close to becoming the second-ever player to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier. But on Thursday, Yastremska's Australian Open run ended in the semifinal after the 23-year-old Ukrainian suffered a 6-4 6-4 loss to Zheng Qinwen. Following Yastremska's loss, 21-year-old Raducanu remains the lone player ever to have won a Grand Slam as a qualifier.
The following morning, Raducanu took to Instagram to reveal that she woke up early to watch the Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner match. When the Djokovic and Sinner Australian Open semifinal started, it was 3:30 am in London.
In the middle of a tense third set and Djokovic battling to stay in the match, Raducanu posted a photo on her Instagram Story at 5:54 am.
Raducanu watched Djokovic losing an AO semifinal for the first time
Although Djokovic was able to save a match point and win a very tight third set, it didn't lead to a major comeback from the Serb. Instead, Sinner bounced back after losing the third set as the Italian got the job done in four sets 6-1 6-2 6-7 (6) 6-3.
For Djokovic, a record 10-time Australian Open champion, it was his first defeat in the semifinal stage at Melbourne Park. Also, it was the first Grand Slam match in Djokovic's career in which he didn't have a single break point chance.
Meanwhile, Raducanu returned home after suffering an Australian Open second-round loss to Wang Yafan. Earlier this week, Raducanu took to Instagram to reveal that she has been back to training and practicing.
In early February, Raducanu is slated to return to action at the Abu Dhabi Open after receiving a main draw wildcard from the tournament organizers. At a WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi, Raducanu will be making her debut appearance.