Zheng Qinwen defeated Russian Anna Kalinskaya 6-7(4) 6-3 6-1 on Wednesday and qualified for the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time where the Chinese 12th seed will face Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska.
Kalinskaya looked nervous in her first Grand Slam quarter-final as she failed to hold serve in the first game of the match but Zheng returned the favour immediately. The shaky display on serve remained throughout the first set.
"She played really good today, especially good with baseline strokes," said Zheng, who can emulate her idol Li Na by winning the trophy at Melbourne Park.
"In the first set, we had a big good competition, the match was very tough for me. I just told myself, 'stay focused, don't think about the first. I'm so happy right now, really excited."
Despite losing the first set, Zheng broke her opponent’s serve to take a 5-3 lead in the next before levelling the contest at one set apiece.
Kalinskaya took a medical timeout for a right leg problem after her serve got broken twice but threatened a late fightback at deuce while down 4-1. However, the 21-year-old Zheng didn’t allow her to make a comeback and secured the victory.
"It's the first time (in the semi-finals) for me," Zheng said. "I'm really happy to be in the semis, especially with such a good performance like this."
Earlier, Yastremska continued her fairytale run at the Australian Open on Wednesday to become the first women's qualifier to reach the semi-finals in 45 years.
"I was just trying to enjoy playing here," Yastremska told reporters after beating Czech teen Linda Noskova 6-3 6-4.