Russian flag fury and Djokovic stitched up with schedule – Australian Open overnight wrap

There were Ukrainian smiles and tears on day nine of the Australian Open as a qualifier reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final. World No. 93 Dayana Yastremska, dressed in blue and yellow, knocked out Victoria Azarenka – and then barely acknowledged the Belarusian at the net.

But Elina Svitolina had to pull out with a back injury after only three games against Linda Noskova in the wide open top of the draw.

Fellow Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk – the third player from the war-ravaged country to reach the fourth round – has taken to social media to attack the official US Open account. And after playing every match in the night session since 2021 until the third round here, Novak Djokovic has been scheduled to play during the day again on Tuesday.

Yastremska wins Cold War

Double Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka recorded her 50th singles win here in third round. And the former world No.1 served for the first set twice and had two set points at 6-5 before the Ukrainian took the 74-minute first set on a tiebreak.

The Belarusian then went 3-0 up in the second before the world No.93 took six of the next seven games to win 7-6 6-4.

“I think I need to take a thousand breaths because my heart I think is going to jump out of my body,” Yastremska said. “During the match, I was imagining how I lost already like 25 times. I was losing the tiebreak, second set I was losing, I always felt I was running behind the train. But because I’m a little bit of a fighter I think I won this match and plus the support, it was amazing.”

Yastremska briefly raised her racquet to the Belarusian after her win but did not shake hands. Asked in her press conference if she had felt any additional pressure playing a Ukrainian, Azarenka said: “Next”.

Yastremska was ranked world no.29 when she failed a doping test and was suspended in November 2020 but she was cleared to return in June 2021. She had lost in the first round of all seven Grand Slam main draws since and had to come through qualifying here.

Svitolina sobs

Yastremska will now face Czech teenager Linda Noskova after her fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina pulled out in pain.

The former world No.3 only returned to the WTA Tour in April after giving berth to her daugher Skai. She reached the quarter-finals at the French Open and the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

But after returning to the fourth round here, the 29-year-old hurt her back during her opening service game which lasted 20 points and 11 minutes. Svitolina called a medical timeout but could not continue and the sobbing Svitolina was forced to stop trailing 0-3.

“I got a spasm, or I don’t know exactly what it is, but like shooting pain in the first game, the last two points,” explained the world No.23. “I couldn’t do anything. It really locked. My lower back completely locked. I’m really in pain even walking, turning. I cannot move side-to-side. Yeah, very strange. Very sad.”

It handed Noskova, who shocked world No.1 Iga Swiatek on Saturday, her first Grand Slam quarter-final place.

Kostyuk fury over Russian flag

World No.35 Kostyuk has used her progress to her first Grand Slam quarter-final to bring attention back to Russia’s invasion of her country.

She has complained the world is not paying attention anymore – and she vented her anger at a social media post from the official US Open account which showed a Russian flag alongside her last opponent Maria Timofeeva. Russian and Belarusian players are competing as neutrals here.

Kostyuk took to her Instagram story to write: “As you know, with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we fought for the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes … now they act in a neutral status, without their flags.

“We have repeatedly asked the question, what is the status of a netural athlete, because it actually does not exist. Today, after my victory over the athlete from the aggressor country, the Russian flag was published on the official resource of one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world. I call on media representatives, officials and the sports community to stop using the tennis court to promote Russian peace.”

Djokovic in the day again on Tuesday

The 10-time champion had not played a day session in Melbourne Park for 1075 days before his third round – and now he will be doing it back-to-back with temperatures set to rise to 29 degrees on Tuesday.

Djokovic will face Taylor Fritz before 2.30pm local time in the Rod Laver Arena. The Serb has a 8-0 record against the American No.12 seed.

The world No.1 played on Sunday afternoon with local hero Alex de Minaur playing the opening match in the evening session – and Djokovic won the first 13 games against No.20 seed Adrian Mannarino to win 6-0 6-0 6-3. “The way I played today, I don’t mind playing in the day,” he said. “It is no secret I like to play at 7pm but it wasn’t too bad today!”

The two matches in the night session in the main Rod Laver Arena are Aryna Sabalenka against Barbora Krejicikova and then Jannick Sinner against Andrey Rublev. The Russian beat Aussie No.1 Alex de Minaur in the prime time slot.