Australian Open 2024 Results: Instant Reactions to Winners and Losers from Wednesday
Alexander Zverev produced one of the best performances of his Grand Slam career against Carlos Alcaraz to reach the 2024 Australian Open semifinals on Wednesday.
Zverev controlled the contest against the second-seeded Spaniard for the first two sets and he came close to winning in straight sets.
Alcaraz rallied to win the third set, but Zverev did not allow his opponent to force a fifth set.
Zverev took over at the end of the fourth set to confirm his 19th-career head-to-head battle with Daniil Medvedev.
Medvedev needed five sets to knock out Hubert Hurkacz in Wednesday's first men's quarterfinal.
Wednesday's two women's quarterfinals produced two first-time Grand Slam semifinalists in Dayana Yastremska and Zheng Qinwen.
Both players were not put in the semifinal conversation at the start of the tournament, but they have put together two of the most complete runs in either singles draw.
Wednesday Results
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Men's Singles
No. 6 Alexander Zverev def. No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-4
No. 3 Daniil Medvedev def. No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
Women's Singles
No. 12 Zheng Qinwen def. Anna Kalinskaya, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-1
Dayana Yastremska def. Linda Noskova, 6-3, 6-4
Alexander Zverev Shines in Win, Sets Up Clash with Daniil Medvedev
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Zverev delivered a masterful performance inside Rod Laver Arena to finish off Wednesday's four-match slate.
The sixth-seeded German won the first two sets with ease against Alcaraz, who did not show up in the match until the middle of the third set.
Alcaraz's rally allowed him to win one set against his German foe, but Zverev found his closing strength in the fourth set to move on to the semifinals.
Zverev will appear in his seventh Grand Slam semifinal on Friday, but he has to get over a rough history in those matches and against Medvedev to reach the final.
Medvedev owns an 11-7 head-to-head record against Zverev and the German is 1-6 in semifinal matches.
Medvedev's path to the semifinals has been shaky at times, as he endured a pair of five-set matches, including his quarterfinal triumph over Hurkacz.
The No. 3 seed appeared to gain control of the match with a 6-3 win in the third set, but Hurkacz rallied back to force a fifth set.
Medvedev earned the deciding service break at 3-3 in the fifth set and then finished off the match one minute before it hit the four-hour mark.
Medvedev is going after his third Australian Open appearance in four years and sixth-career Grand Slam final appearance on Friday.
Dayana Yastremska, Zheng Qinwen Both Reach First Grand Slam Semifinal
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Yastremska and Zheng formed one of the unlikeliest semifinal matchups in recent women's Grand Slam history with their Wednesday victories.
Yastremska, who entered the draw as a qualifier, took down Czech teenager Linda Noskova in straight sets.
The 23-year-old Ukrainian had not made it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam in her career before Melbourne. She also entered Australia with an eight-match losing streak in majors.
Yastremska earned her fourth straight-set win of the tournament on Wednesday to move her one win away from the final.
Zheng's semifinal appearance was at least somewhat possible entering the tournament since she made the final eight at the 2023 U.S. Open.
The No. 12 seed played well once again on Wednesday, but she has also had some draw luck to get into the final four.
Zheng has five wins over unseeded players in Melbourne, including her three-set triumph over Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals.
She will not face a seeded player until the final, if she makes it there. The winner of the Yastremska-Zheng semifinal will be a decided underdog against either Coco Gauff or Aryna Sabalenka.
