Less pressure, lower expectations have helped Australian Open quarter-finalist Yastremska

Dayana Yastremska is through to the Australian Open quarter-finals, her longest run at a major. She says taking the pressure off herself has helped fuel her improved performance.

Dayana Yastremska 2024 Australian Open Icon SMI / Panoramic

Ricky Dimon

January 22, 2024

Australian Open •Round of 16 • completed

See draw

V. AzarenkavsD. Yastremska

The top half of the women’s draw at the Australian Open is wide open; it has been ever since Iga Swiatek lost to Linda Noskova in the third round.

Dayana Yastremska is among those looking to take advantage of the opportunity.

Yastremska has already made her best run at a Grand Slam, as she secured a spot in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park by beating two-time Aussie Open champion Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (6), 6-4 on Monday afternoon. This breakthrough fortnight has come a bit out of nowhere for the 23-year-old, who is down at No 93 in the rankings. She had never been past the third round of any major prior to arriving in Melbourne earlier this month.

no more pressure. no more high expectations.
Dayana Yastremska

How does Yastremska account for her sudden change in fortunes?

“The last three years, a lot of things that happened…I’m not gonna talk about it right now,” the Ukrainian said during her press conference after defeating Azarenka. “A lot of things were [affecting] me, and because of that I couldn’t really play like I wanted. Plus I put a lot of pressure on myself, as well.

“I was putting a lot of pressure on myself in different ways — in the way that [the war is going and therefore] I have to show better results for Ukraine. I wasn’t playing just for myself.

“But now I decided that from this year (there will be) no more pressure, no more high expectations for myself. Just be the way you are, and we will see how it’s gonna go.”

Managing the pressure will be crucial for Yastremska moving forward, because there certainly is a lot of it given the opportunity that awaits her in this second week of the season’s first Grand Slam. Only Noskova — ranked 50th — stands in Yastremska’s way of the semi-finals. If she wins on Wednesday, Yastremska would then meet either No 12 seed Qinwen Zheng or world No. 75 Anna Kalinskaya.

With Azarenka now out, there is guaranteed to be a first-time slam finalist from the top half of the bracket.

If she can can continue to manage the pressure, it just might be Yatsremska.