Dayana Yastremska will battle French challenger Lois Buisson in the Hamburg tournament semi-final today at 16:30 Kyiv time, with the Ukrainian entering as the highest-ranked player remaining in the competition.
Yastremska has navigated her way through the draw impressively despite not having standout results on clay this season. Her journey began with a solid 6:4, 6:3 victory over German Jule Niemeier, followed by a commanding 6:1, 6:4 win against France's Diane Parry. Her toughest test came in the quarterfinals where she overcame Hungary's Dalma Galfi in three sets – 7:6, 3:6, 6:2.
One concern for the Ukrainian has been her first serve percentage, which hovered around 55% in her first two matches before improving to 60% in her quarterfinal – a small but significant improvement as she heads into the business end of the tournament.
Buisson, the 22-year-old French player, comes into this match with impressive clay credentials. Tennis fans might remember her remarkable run to the Roland Garros semi-final earlier this season, where she eventually fell to Coco Gauff.
"This is my favorite surface, and I feel I can compete with anyone on clay," Buisson might say, given her comfort on the surface.
In Hamburg, the French challenger has been equally impressive, starting with a straightforward 6:1, 6:3 win over Austria's Graber. She then survived a grueling three-setter against German Korpach (6:4, 6:7, 6:4) before dispatching Bulgaria's Tomova 6:3, 6:3 in the quarterfinals.
Interestingly, this will be the first-ever meeting between these two players, adding another layer of intrigue to the contest. While Yastremska enters as a slight favorite, Buisson's clay court prowess makes this anything but straightforward.
Worth noting is that Buisson had slightly less recovery time heading into this semi-final – a factor that could play a role in a potentially lengthy battle.
The winner of this semi-final might well be the tournament favorite, considering the relative rankings of players in the other half of the draw. Will Yastremska's higher ranking prevail, or can Buisson continue her clay court heroics?
