As the first player in professional tennis history, Russian Aslan Karatsev reached the semi-finals in his Grand Slam debut.

At the Australian Open in Melbourne, the 27-year-old Russian qualified defeated Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, ailing 2: 6, 6: 4, 6: 1, 6: 2. The number 114 in the world ranking fights quite surprisingly against Alexander Zverev from Hamburg or defending champion Novak Djokovic from Serbia for a place in the final.

Dimitrov had defeated the Austrian US Open winner and last year climbed Dominic Thiem of Austria in the Round of 16, but it was clear that he had a backache in front of Karatsev and was only able to move across the field with difficulty towards the end of the match. After 2:32 hours, Karatsev made his historic success perfect.

Only after the qualifiers, which were held in Doha due to the coronavirus pandemic and stringent entry requirements to Australia, did he gain a place in the main square. He is now the lowest ranked player in the world semifinals in Melbourne since Patrick McEnroe in 1991 and in the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament since Goran Evanisevic at Wimbledon in 2001.

Osaka reached the semi-finals after just 66 minutes

In the women’s category, three-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka was the first woman to reach the semi-finals. In just 66 minutes, the 23-year-old Japanese won her match against 12-year-old Hsieh Su Wei from Taiwan 6: 2, 6: 2. “It’s always a challenge,” said Osaka after her success against the doubles specialist with a front and back two-handed kick. Big against it because I don’t know exactly what you’re going to do with the ball. “

In the fight for a place in the final, the 2019 Melbourne winner will meet 23-time US tournament winner Serena Williams or second seed Romanian Simona Halep on Thursday. In the quarter-finals on Wednesday, world number one Ashley Barty of Australia and the Czech Republic Karolina Moshova as well as Americans Jessica Bigula and Jennifer Brady, trained by German Michael Geiserer, face each other.

“I usually never look at my painting, but everyone talked to me about it. So I had no choice but to know who would be my next opponent,” said the world number three after his nineteenth successive victory. “Whatever the case, I’m looking forward to it,” said Osaka.

Before the season was halted last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Osaka suffered a defeat in the Confederation Cup in February 2020. Since play resumed in the fall, Osaka has won four matches in the WTA Championships, which she moved from Cincinnati to New York, before she was unable to play. Final against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus due to injury. At the US Open, after seven matches and the final against Azarenka, she won the title for the second time since 2018.

In the Australian Open pre-tournament, Osaka won three times before withdrawing due to a shoulder injury. With her success against Hsieh Sue Wei, she now has five more wins – particularly in the round of 16 against final-year-old Garbini Muguruza of Spain, which she won after defending two match points, giving her confidence. Hsieh Su-Wei was still able to look forward to setting a record: at 35 years old, she is the oldest female and male tennis professional, who celebrated her Grand Slam quarter-finals debut at this age.