We are down to the last eight at the Australian Open as the quarterfinals wrap up on Day 11 in Melbourne. Two intriguing matchups are on the slate as No. 12 seed Qinwen Zheng takes on Anna Kalinskaya and Linda Noskova squares off against Qualifier Dayana Yastremska. As always, we at LWOT have our roundtable preview and predictions for each match. Offering their thoughts on these two quarterfinal bouts are Shane Black, Jack Edward, Yesh Ginsburg, Damian Kust, and Jordan Reynolds.
View our men’s quarterfinal predictions, including Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev, here.
Australian Open Women’s Quarterfinal Predictions
Linda Noskova vs Dayana Yastremska
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Shane:
19-year-old Noskova and 23-year-old Yastremska are in unfamiliar territory, yet one of them will be competing in the Australian Open semifinals in a few short days. Noskova came back from a set down to take out No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek. She looked phenomenal in that win, striking the ball with confidence from both wings. Yastremska, who advanced through qualifying, has spent nearly double the amount of time on-court as her opponent. She mentioned fatigue as a factor following her fourth-round victory. I see Noskova using this to her advantage, pushing Yastremska around the court until she wears down.
Prediction: Noskova in 3
Jack:
It’s an unexpected hard-hitting quarterfinal. Yastremska has been on the tour for eight years with all sorts of topsy-turvy results—in Ostapenko fashion, she is capable of high peaks and low troughs. Conversely, for Noskova, this feels like the start of a long stint in the world’s top 30. The Czech just hits with more quality more consistently and should back up her win against the world No. 1.
Prediction: Noskova in 3
Yesh:
Noskova has been a revelation this tournament, and this draw should allow it to continue. Yastremska is dangerous, yes, but she’s no Swiatek, who Noskova already beat.
Prediction: Noskova in 2
Damian:
Noskova advanced after Elina Svitolina’s retirement and we didn’t get to see if she would have repeated her win over Iga Swiatek. The Czech has all the tools needed though and has only been struggling to put them together consistently enough. Meanwhile, Yastremska has had a rocky path in her last few years, but is her quality actually that much different to when she was just outside the top 20? Not really. Should be a tight one, Noskova’s a more dynamic ball-striker and probably carries stronger potential going forward.
Prediction: Noskova in 3
Jordan:
Both players have different advantages heading into this one. Noskova will be completely fresh after Elina Svitolina’s retirement after three games, while Yastremska has the momentum from beating two-time champion Victoria Azarenka. Teenage sensation Noskova gets the edge here. Despite winning in straight sets. Yastremska actually did not play too well in a low-quality first set with Azarenka. Noskova’s powerful game could quickly overwhelm her if she is not at the races from the start in this clash.
Prediction: Noskova in 2
Qinwen Zheng vs Anna Kalinskaya
Head-to-Head: Zheng 0-1 Kalinskaya
Shane:
The 21-year-old Zheng is into back-to-back slam quarterfinals and is the favorite to reach the Australian Open final, given the current draw. The Chinese has been on a heater since mid-October, winning 14 of her last 16 matches. Zheng can puncture you off both wings, but will nerves creep in during this match? Kalinskaya had never reached the third round of slam before this week, let alone a quarterfinal. The 25-year-old has been playing some inspired tennis to begin the season, but I just don’t see her bringing the baseline consistency to hang with Zheng.
Prediction: Zheng in 2
Jack:
Qinwen Zheng’s first Grand Slam semifinal has felt on the cards for a while. In New York, she fell respectably to Sabalenka in the quarters—in Melbourne, she’s up against Kalinskaya, the 75th top ranked player in the world. Zheng consistently hits a better quality ball than the Russian. In conditions that favour steady aggressive hitting, I think this is Zheng’s moment.
Prediction: Zheng in 2
Yesh:
Qinwen Zheng might be the future, and she is in astonishing form this tournament so far. I don’t know if she’s quite where she can challenge the likes of Coco Gauff or Iga Swiatek, but luckily for her she’s not facing such an opponent yet. Kalinskaya doesn’t quite have the consistency to be relied upon late in a Major, and Zheng is too good all over the court to beat if there are any flaws in her game.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Damian:
Zheng has been so consistent recently and getting back-to-back Slam quarterfinals is the prime example of that. Now she gets to face Kalinskaya, who’s basically playing the best tennis of her career since October. This looks very open if the Russian can maintain the incredible hitting from the first few rounds, she’s a very underrated ball-striker. Needless to say, Zheng is the real deal though and it looks like her talent is blowing up as we speak.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Jordan:
Both women were absolutely superb in their respective victories against Oceane Dodin and Jasmine Paolini. There will be a lot of powerful hitting between two players who like to be aggressive at every possible opportunity. It is not an easy one to call, but my instinct is to back Kalinskaya to continue her amazing run. But this could easily go either way and come down to fine margins.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
