(Adelaide) Linda Noskova, 18 and 102e world, continues to cause a sensation at the WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide: after eliminating the Russian Daria Kasatkina (8e world) to 1er round, the young Czech offered the seeded N.4, the Belarusian Viktoria Azarenka, Friday in the quarter-finals.

Noskova defeated Azarenka (26e world), 15 years her senior, 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (8/6) after a long fight of almost three hours, concluded by a winning service on her second match point.

Her qualification for the semi-finals is a first for a player who had yet to qualify for the Grand Slam tournaments in 2022. There she will face Ons Jabeur, world No.2 and seeded No.1.

The Tunisian experienced the worst difficulties against the Romanian Marta Kostyuk (69e world), 20, who only gave in to the decisive game in the first set after leading 4 games to 1, before breaking at 2-2 in the second.

Jabeur then reacted like a champion, clenching the game, then her fist after having unbroken immediately by saving three balls from 4-2 for her opponent during a fiercely contested sixth game.

Before finally succeeding in getting rid of a very catchy player 7-6 (7/5), 7-5.

At the bottom of the table, the Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu (34e world) created a little surprise by eliminating the seeded N.4, the Russian Veronika Kudermetova (9e world) 7-5, 6-4, to win the right to face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (5e world).

Sabalenka logically eliminated the Czech Marketa Vondrousova (92e world) 6-3, 7-5. The N.2 seed will be the big favorite against Begu.

Quarter-final results

  • Ons Jabeur (TUN/N.1 seed) defeats Marta Kostyuk (UKR) 7-6 (7/5), 7-5
  • Linda Noskova (CZE) defeats Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (8/6)
  • Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) defeats Veronika Kudermetova (RUS/seeded N.4) 7-5, 6-4
  • Aryna Sabalenka (BLR / N.2) beat Marketa Vondrousová (CZE) 6-3, 7-5