WORLD No.93 DAYANA: I'M ON A MISSION FOR UKRAINE

UKRAINIAN Dayana Yastremska said she is on a "mission" for her embattled homeland after storming within two wins of emulating Emma Raducanu.

- NEIL McLEMAN

The 23-year-old (right) became only the second qualifier to reach the last four of the Australian Open in the Open era by beating Czech teenager Linda Noskova 6-3 6-4.

Yastremska, who wore a blue and yellow dress, then wrote on a courtside TV camera: "I'm proud of our fighting people from Ukraine".

Her fellow Ukrainians Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk also used their runs into the second week here to draw media attention back to their war-ravaged country nearly two years after the Russian invasion.

And the world No.93 now wants to continue her tennis campaign Down Under when she takes on China's Qinwen Zheng (right) in the second semi-final today.