Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska said she felt like her “heart was going to jump out of her body” after she knocked out Victoria Azarenka to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.

Yastremska, 23, won 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 against two-time champion Azarenka to move past the last 16 at a Grand Slam event for the first time.

But she will not face an all-Ukrainian quarter-final after Elina Svitolina retired injured against Linda Noskova.

Svitolina stopped due to a back issue.

The Wimbledon semi-finalist had to quit when she trailed 3-0 to the Czech teenager, who also advanced into her first Grand Slam quarter-final.

Svitolina, seeded 19th, said she thought it was a spasm.

“I don’t know exactly what it is, but it was like shooting pain in the last two points of the first game,” the 29-year-old former world number three said.

“I couldn’t do anything. It completely locked my back. I’m just very sad, of course.”

The exits of Azarenka and Svitolina leaves this side of the women’s draw even more wide open than it had been after other high-profile exits in earlier rounds, with Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen the highest ranked player remaining.

She advanced to the last eight with a comfortable 6-0 6-3 win over France’s Oceane Dodin and will face Anna Kalinskaya next after the world number 75 beat Italy’s 26th seed Jasmine Paolini.

Saturday’s women’s singles showpiece is now guaranteed to feature at least one first-time Grand Slam finalist.

The other side of the draw is still stacked with seeds, though, including defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and US Open champion Coco Gauff.

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Yastremska shows fight to earn biggest win

Shocks throughout the women’s singles draw has been one of the themes at the opening Grand Slam event of the 2024 season.

Seeded players have been falling regularly over the past nine days – with Yastremska responsible for taking out three of the top 32.

Yastremska, ranked 93rd in the world, narrowly missed out on direct entry to the main draw and was the top seed in the qualifying event.

After all three of her qualifying matches went the distance to three sets, she has hit the ground running in the main draw.

Yastremska caused a shock when she beat Wimbledon champion and seventh seed Marketa Vondrousova in her opener, earned another straight-set win against unseeded Varvara Gracheva and then beat American 27th seed Emma Navarro in a deciding set.

That teed up the meeting with former world number one Azarenka on Rod Laver Arena.

Azarenka, a semi-finalist last year, held two set points at 6-5 in the opener but Yastremska fought back to level and then stayed composed in the tie-break to take her opportunity.

After both players took a bathroom break, Azarenka moved 3-0 up in the second set before Yastremska – continuing to play her attacking game – turned it around again.

“I was losing the tie-break, I was losing the second set, I always felt like I was running behind the train,” Yastremska said.

“But I think I’m a little bit of a fighter so that’s why I won this match.”

Svitolina, who is Ukraine’s number one player, had been playing well at Melbourne Park as she continued her strong form in 2024 after reaching the Auckland final.

With the draw having opened up, she was one of the most experienced in the top half alongside Azarenka.

But Svitolina says every remaining player is capable of taking the title, including 19-year-old Noskova, who beat top seed Iga Swiatek in the previous round.

“I don’t want to look at this as a missed opportunity, especially right now when it was not about my tennis,” said Svitolina, who will rise back into the world’s top 20 just eight months after coming back from having her daughter.

‘Ukraine success helping in tough times’

While Svitolina was unable to reach the last eight, Yastremska’s success ensured there will still be two Ukrainians in the quarter-finals of the women’s singles.

Marta Kostyuk, a 21-year-old who is ranked 37th in the world, won her last-16 match on Sunday to set up a meeting with US Open champion Coco Gauff.

“At the beginning of the tournament [there were] seven Ukrainians in the main draw and so many of us going that far is nice,” Svitolina said.

“It’s great for Ukrainian tennis. Of course, now I feel very old because of my health, but I’m happy that they are doing great.

“It’s great for the upcoming generation as well, especially now these days when Ukraine is in such a tough time.”

Zheng and Kalinskaya into quarters for first time

After early exits for top seed Swiatek, third seed Elena Rybakina and fifth seed Jessica Pegula, this half of the women’s draw has presented opportunities for others to shine.

One of those making the most of the chance is Zheng, who backed up her quarter-final run at last year’s US Open with a place in the last eight in Melbourne.

The 21-year-old eased past French world number 95 Dodin to win the last night match on Rod Laver Arena in just over an hour.

The Frenchwoman looked to be struggling with a leg injury throughout, having reached the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time.

Zheng will next face Russia’s Kalinskaya, who defeated Paolini 6-4 6-2.

Kalinskaya had not gone past the first round in Melbourne before this yea