Ukrainian tennis player Kichenok reaches 2024 Australian Open final in women’s doubles

For the first time in 16 years, a representative of Ukraine will compete in the final of the Grand Slam women's doubles series. 

Tennis player Liudmyla Kichenok secured a place in the Australian Open final in tandem with Latvian Elena Ostapenko, Rubryka reports, referring to Suspilne Sport.

In four matches on the way to the semifinals, Kichenok and Ostapenko lost only one set — in the second round match against Australians Kimberley Birrell and Olivia Gadecki (2:1). The rest of the matches, the duo finished with victories of 2:0.

Kichenok and Ostapenko competed in the semifinals against Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealander Erin Routliffe. Both sets were won by the Ukrainian and Latvian with a score of 7:5.

Ukraine will be represented in the women's doubles finals of the Grand Slam series for the third time. Last time, in 2008, Aliona and Kateryna Bondarenko won the title in Melbourne, and in 1999, Elena Tatarkova lost the doubles final at Wimbledon.

Liudmyla Kichenok will play in the Grand Slam tournament final for the second time in her career. At Wimbledon 2023, she won the mixed doubles title together with Croatian Mate Pavic.

Kichenok and Ostapenko's opponents in the Australian Open final will be the tournament's second seeded players: Su-Wei Hsieh from Taiwan and Elise Mertens from Belgium. The match will take place on Sunday, January 28.

Rubryka reported that tennis player Dayana Yastremska failed to defeat Chinese player Zheng Wenyi in the semifinals of the Australian Open 2024; the Ukrainian suffered a defeat in two sets and was eliminated from the prestigious tournament.

Ukraine's women's national saber fencing team won against South Korea's fencers – 41:40 in the final World Cup stage in Lengano, Italy. This is the first victory since 2016.

Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh was among the 11 nominees for the prestigious award "World's Best Female Athlete-2023," determined by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Also, for the first time, the Ukrainian biathlon team won "gold" in the mixed relay at the IBU Junior Cup stage, which is taking place these days in Ridnaun, Italy.