With so many goat-level players still touring the circuit well past the age of 35, the story of 18-year-old Ukranian Dayana Yastremska facing her childhood hero Serena Williams is almost becoming routine. Before she got to face her idol on Rod Laver Arena Saturday morning Yastremska remembered how when she was 8 years old, she was watching Serena play Justine Henin at the Australian Open: Williams was down in the score, so young Dayana went to her bedroom, picked up her racket and started miming the shots together with her favorite player. “I felt like I won together with her” said Yastremska, looking forward to the match with her hero.
But reality turned out to be harsher than the dream: a blink of an eye and the score was already 4-0 to the green-dressed Serena, and less than 30 minutes after the start the first set had already gone with a severe 6-2. After shaking off the jitters and getting more settled in the match, Dayana found a bit more rhythm with the rallies and managed to put up a better fight, but unfortunately she rolled over her right ankle while stretching for a backhand and the pain started mounting until she had to call a medical time-out when already down 1-4.
An inside-out forehand by Yastremska sailing wide ended the match after 67 minutes, with Williams hugging her opponent and giving her a nice pep talk instead of a more formal handshake.
After gliding through the first week losing only seven games, the road will start getting steeper for the 23-time Major Champion: her round of 16 opponent will either be her sister Venus Williams or the current world n.1 Simona Halep in what will undoubtedly be a very interesting clash.
