Australian Open 2024: Coco Gauff falls to Aryna Sabalenka in semifinals, plus other notable results

Defending Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the finals at Melbourne Park on Thursday, taking down American teenager Coco Gauff in the semifinals 7-6, 6-4. The match marked Gauff’s first appearance in the tournament’s semifinals and the win made Sabalenka the first woman since Serena Williams to reach the Australian Open finals two years in a row.

Their quarterfinals in Melbourne couldn’t have been more different. Gauff survived an error-filled game against Marta Kostyuk with a 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 6-2 win that took three hours and eight minutes. Meanwhile, Sabalenka took less than an hour to claim her 6-2, 6-3 victory over Barbora Krejcikova. Sabalenka has been a force to be reckoned with in this tournament, dropping just 16 games and playing a combined 5.25 hours through five rounds.

No. 12 Qinwen Zheng got the best of Dayana Yastremska in the semifinal round as she came away with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. Yastremska, currently ranked No. 93, was the first qualifier in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam seminal since Christine Dorey in 1978.

On the men’s side, Djokovic reached his record-extending 48th Grand Slam semifinal with a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win against American Taylor Fritz. The 10-time Australian Open champion has now won 32 consecutive matches at Melbourne. 

Djokovic’s next opponent will be Jannik Sinner, who beat Andrey Rublev 6-4,7-6 (7-5), 6-3 to reach his first ever Australian Open semifinal. This will be a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon men’s singles semifinal, which Djokovic won in three sets before losing the championship game to Carlos Alcaraz. 

Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev took down No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4 in a quarterfinal match Wednesday. Alcaraz lost the first two sets but won the third in a comeback attempt. Zverev’s ankle needed treatment before the fourth set, but it didn’t slow him down and he avoided going to a fifth. 

The German star Zverev advanced to his seventh major semifinal and will be taking on Daniil Medvedev — who did go into a five-set battle with Hubert Hurkacz before winning 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

Here is all you need to know about the 2024 US Open:

How to watch the 2024 Australian Open

• Dates: Jan. 13-27
• Where: Melbourne Park, Australia
• Watch: ESPN, ABC, Tennis Channel
• Stream: fubo (try for free)

Men’s seeding

1. Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
3. Daniil Medvedev (N/A)
4. Jannik Sinner (ITA)
5. Andrey Rublev (N/A)
6. Alexander Zverev (GER)
7. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
8. Holger Rune (DEN)
9. Hubert Hurkacz (POL)
10. Alex De Minaur (AUS)
11. Casper Ruud (NOR)
12. Taylor Fritz (USA)
13. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)
14. Tommy Paul (USA)
15. Karen Khachanov (N/A)
16. Ben Shelton (USA)
17. Frances Tiafoe (USA)
18. Nicolas Jarry (CHL)
19. Cameron Norrie (GBR)
20. Adrian Mannarino (FRA)
21. Ugo Humbert (FRA)
22. Francisco Cerundolo (ARG)
23. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP)
24. Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
25. Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)
26. Sebastian Baez (ARG)
27. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
28. Tallon Griekspoor (NLD)
29. Sebastian Korda (USA)
30. Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG)
31. Alexander Bublik (KAZ)
32. Jiri Lehecka (CZE)

Women’s seeding

1. Iga Swiatek (POL)
2. Aryna Sabalenka (N/A)
3. Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
4. Coco Gauff (USA)
5. Jessica Pegula (USA)
6. Ons Jabeur (TUN)
7. Marketa Vondrousova (CZE)
8. Maria Sakkari (GRE)
9. Barbora Krejcikova (CZE)
10. Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA)
11. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)
12. Qinwen Zheng (CHN)
13. Liudmila Samsonova (N/A)
14. Daria Kasatkina (N/A)
15. Veronika Kudermetova (N/A)
16. Caroline Garcia (FRA)
17. Ekaterina Alexandrova (N/A)
18. Victoria Azarenka (N/A)
19. Elina Svitolina (UKR)
20. Magda Linette (POL)
21. Donna Vekic (HRV)
22. Sorana Cirstea (ROU)
23. Anastasia Potapova (N/A)
24. Anhelina Kalinina (UKR)
25. Elise Mertens (BEL)
26. Jasmine Paolini (ITA)
27. Emma Navarro (USA)
28. Lesia Tsurenko (UKR)
29. Zhu Lin (CHN)
30. Wang Xinyu (CHN)
31. Marie Bouzkova (CZE)
32. Leylah Fernandez (CAN)

Men’s semifinal matches:

• No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 4 Jannik Sinner
• No. 3 Daniil Medvedev vs. No. 6 Alexander Zverev

Women’s semifinal matches:

• No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka def. No. 4 Coco Gauff, 7-6, 6-4
• No. 12 Qinwen Zheng def. Dayana Yastremska, 6-4, 6-4