An instant after clinching a berth in her first grand slam final in Melbourne, ascending Chinese star Qinwen Zheng raised her arms in triumph before pumping her fists in sheer delight.

The 21-year-old had just produced another superb performance to end the fairytale run of Dayana Yastremska, a qualifier from Ukraine who played the tournament of her life here.

“It feels unbelievable. I am super excited to have such a great performance today and arrive in the final. It is tough to explain how I am feeling,” Zheng said on the court.

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Her moment of triumph in the Australian Open will circulate across China on Friday. A new star of the game is confirmed, regardless of the result of the final.

Also circulating on social media prior to the semi-final was a photograph of Zheng, aged 11, transfixed in awe at a television screening Li Na’s historic triumph in Melbourne in 2014.

A decade later only Aryna Sabalenka, who she practised with prior to the tournament, stands in the path of Zheng becoming the second Chinese player to win a grand slam title.

If any proof was needed of the importance of trailblazers, a moving ceremony on Rod Laver Arena highlighted what can happen when a remarkable person does something special.

Prior to the beginning of play Evonne Goolagong Cawley was honoured on the 50th anniversary of her second Australian Open triumph, with First Nations Day to be renamed in her honour.

Australia’s most recent grand slam champion Ash Barty was not alive when Goolangong Cawley was weaving her racquet like it was a magical wand at Wimbledon.

But Barty became aware of her deeds as a child and used her example and guidance to become the second Indigenous Australian to become a grand slam champion.

It is certain Australia’s next female champion will be looking to the example set by Barty at Melbourne Park in 2022 and pondering how best to follow her footsteps.

Zheng, similarly, was inspired by Li Na. When the dual-grand slam champion, who has been in Melbourne to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of her success, surprised Zheng at a press conference earlier this week, she responded with the same awestruck expression.

So much for the old cliche about never meeting your idols. The 21-year-old, who signalled her talent at Roland Garros in 2022 when defeating Simona Halep, is playing brilliant tennis.

Zheng trained in Wuhan, where Li Na is from. And she also trained in Beijing with Carlos Rodriguez, who coached the Chinese champion to her Australian Open success in 2014.

Chinese tennis was in the midst of a boom prior to the pandemic, but the global catastrophe combined with the disturbing plight of former player Peng Shuai saw it become an outcast.

Money speaks all languages and as soon as China reopened its doors to the world, the tours returned with gusto. Zheng and talents including Juncheng Shang, who reached the 3rd Rd in the men’s draw, shape as global stars of the game with the capability of growing the sport even more in their homeland.

Zheng’s progression to the final is also important for Tennis Australia, which has long billed itself as the Grand Slam of the Asia-Pacific and has a lucrative partnership with Chinese brand 1573, as evidenced in the fact a major court has been renamed after the whiskey.

In the years after Li Na’s triumph in Melbourne, TA had offices in several Chinese cities and assisted by providing racquets and knowledge associated with the Hot Shots program.

When Zheng defeated Wafan Yang in the third round last weekend, a peak audience of 1.6 million tuned in to a Chinese channel to watch the compatriots battle out a thriller.

Those figures are from one channel. The actual ratings from channels across the country would be far larger in a nation where billions have been invested in growing the sport of tennis.

And Zheng’s ascension means big business in the future for any nation who has links to China, with TA at the forefront given its proximity and the tennis ties established with the country this century.

Zheng may not deliver on Saturday night, for Sabalenka shapes as a massive challenge and is the deserved favourite. But her trajectory suggests her time is nigh, if not now. Expect her to be at the pointy end of grand slams in coming years given her capabilities on hard and clay courts.

Sabelenka, meanwhile, has handled her title defence with distinction and is yet to drop a set.

To illustrate how impressive the 25-year-old has been, the reigning champion is the first woman since Serena Williams to reach successive finals in Melbourne.

And there were similarities to the legendary American in the way Sabalenka played as she edged Coco Gauff, who was inspired by the Williams sisters, in a quality semi-final.

When Sabalenka is in full-flight, she is almost untouchable, such is her withering power, ferocious serve and intimidating demeanour on the court. Sound familiar to anyone?

Gauff is an outstanding defender. After a slow start, she showed grit to reel in Sabalenka and make it a contest that arguably could have gone her way had she clinched the first set.

Zheng, too, is an outstanding mover around the court. And she possesses the fire power to match Sabalenka from the baseline. This adds intrigue to what is a fascinating final.

The challenge will be her ability to handle the occasion that comes with playing in a grand slam final for the first time. There is no sure way to assess that until the decider begins.

But her nerve was tested last September during the Asian Games, an extremely important event in her homeland, and she passed that examination with flying colours when claiming the gold medal.

But Sabalenka is aware of the talent of her rival and mindful of the challenge ahead.

“We actually practised here before the tournament, and she’s playing really great tennis,” she said.

“I think her forehand is really heavy … and she’s moving well also (and) fighting for every point.

“She (is) putting her opponents under pressure, playing really aggressive tennis, and I think that’s why she’s in the top 10.”

It shapes as an intriguing decider.

AUSSIE INFLUENCE BEHIND YOUNG GUN’S MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

History proves it is the closest thing tennis has to Mission Impossible yet there are some who believe a landmark moment might unfold at Melbourne Park on Friday afternoon.

Moments after Novak Djokovic reached his 11th Australian Open semi-final, he was quizzed as to what always happens as a result of his progression to the last four in Melbourne.

The world No.1 attempted to brush aside the query from EuroSport analyst Barbara Schett, stating it was important to remain humble despite an extraordinary record.

The answer to the question should be alarming for the three other men left alive in the Australian Open draw, beginning with Italian star Jannik Sinner on Friday afternoon.

When the 36-year-old reaches the last four at Melbourne Park, he goes on to win the title. Every. Single. Time. Which is not necessarily a surprise given the 24-time major champion is in the midst of a 33-match winning streak at Melbourne Park dating back to 2018 as well.

The gulf in experience between the two combatants, with Djokovic about to play his 48th major semifinal and Sinner his second, would normally see the Serbian a heavy favourite.

This was the case when they met at Wimbledon in a semi-final just six months ago, with Djokovic a straight sets victor on another of his favourite courts. But much has changed.

For years the 10-time Australian Open champion has conquered emerging challengers to his crown. But Carlos Alcaraz snuck through at Wimbledon. And Sinner might yet do so here.

While the historical metrics favour Djokovic, the Italian’s rise as a contender is clear.

Alcaraz, who fell in four sets to Alexander Zverev on Wednesday night, is a believer.

“I think the players that are in the semi-finalist have the level to beat him,” he said.

“It’s not easy to beat Novak in a tournament and I think it’s even tougher in a grand slam. But he has to face Jannik Sinner (who is) playing an unbelievable game.

“He has not dropped a set in this tournament and that means he has the level and the capacity to beat Novak.”

Daniil Medvedev has lost his last three matches against Sinner, who has won ten of his past 11 matches against Top 10 ranked rivals, and said the Italian is in the hottest of form.

The Russian admitted to foxing with his tactics ahead of a testing five set quarterfinal win over Hubert Hurkacz.

But his confusion was clear as he described whether he would prefer to play the King or the challenger to the crown if he progressed to Sunday night’s final.

“If I’m 100 percent honest with you, if you ask me – let’s say I’m in the final – who do I want to play, Novak, who has never lost here, whatever, is going for some crazy stats, or Jannik, who is not losing a set even when he is 5-1 down in a tiebreak and stuff like this, I don’t know. I really don’t know,” Medvedev said.

Master consultant Darren Cahill, who coached Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt and Simona Halep to the world’s top ranking, has been in the Italian’s corner for the past 12 months.

And his influence is clear. Sinner, who won the Canadian Masters in August and led Italy to a drought-breaking Davis Cup in November, has matured both physically and mentally.

This is demonstrated in his recent wins against top Russians Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev in Melbourne.

Both had their chances on the Sinner serve. Yet he proved near impregnable on break points, either rifling flat serves wide to the advantage court or zipping winners elsewhere.

He goes up against the best return of serve tennis has seen on Friday. But Djokovic, unusually for him, struggled to convert break points against Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.

Sinner, too, defeated Djokovic in two of their three meetings in November. The Serbian clinched the ATP Tour Finals. But Sinner bounced back in a Davis Cup semifinal.

Doing so over five sets is another challenge.

But those recent wins, among a broader pattern, explains why Sinner believes what has been Mission Impossible is very much within the realms of possibility on Friday.

“Obviously he has an incredible record here, so for me it’s a pleasure to play against him, especially in the final stages of the tournament where things are a little bit more interesting,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to it, to be honest. It’s going to be tough. This I know. I will control the controllables, which is giving 100 percent, having the right attitude, and fighting for every ball.”

BIZARRE ‘BULLETS’ TREND AS BALLS DRAMA RETURNS

There was much ado about tennis balls leading into the Australian Open amid criticism from players and the announcement of a joint review by the ATP and WTA Tours.

But there has scarcely been a peep during the tournament about those being used at Melbourne Park, though Medvedev did offer an interesting assessment on Wednesday.

A hard court specialist who has won 19 of his 20 titles on the surface, the world No.3 was quizzed as to whether Melbourne Park was playing faster or slower than other editions.

And up popped a reference to those fluffy yellow balls which, he said, have a range of characteristics depending on how much they have been used in a match.

Effectively, he said, when the tennis balls are freshly out of the can, they are like “bullets”, which makes the court surface appear to be playing far faster than usual.

“If you touch it a little bit too much, it goes in the fence,” he said.

But Medvedev, who plays arch-rival Alexander Zverev on Friday night for a spot in the Australian Open final, noted that as the balls reach the final game before being changed, they are chewed up and particularly hard to hit for winners.

“If you serve well (for) a couple of games, then maybe in three, four games they become older. But if you play against someone who plays rallies, I think you do, maybe I’d say six, seven shots (and) they’re done,” he said.

“You’re not going to hit a winner. (You are) going to have to stay for a long rally. So the court itself, I don’t really know. I think it’s pretty fast. I don’t think it’s slow. (It is) just there is such a big difference with new balls, and after two, three games, (when they become older).”

It was something he noted while watching the great clash between Australians Jordan Thompson and Aleksandar Vukic in the first week.

“I remember watching Thompson (and) Vukic and then I see at deuce a 50-shot rally (and it) seems they cannot hit the ball. I say to my coach, ‘Let’s count the games,’” he said.

“It was exactly before the new balls. I was watching TV (and) it was almost funny to watch. You could see (there was no) chance one is going to make a winner. It was going to be an error from someone. That is my answer.”

AUSSIE LEGEND GIVEN FRESH, FITTING HONOUR

A half-century after Evonne Goolangong Cawley won her second Australian Open, the legend was back on centre court blowing kisses to the adoring masses on Thursday.

The seven-time grand slam champion was honoured on Rod Laver Arena ahead of the Australian Open women’s semifinals at Melbourne Park.

The 72-year-old, who was joined by her husband Roger, Tennis Australia president Jayne Hrdlicka and Australian doubles great Todd Woodbridge for the ceremony.

The kicker is that Tennis Australia’s First Nations Day, which celebrates Indigenous culture in Australia, will now be named after Goolagong Cawley, a four-time winner of this major.

In a country where Australian greats have stadiums named in their honour, it has always seemed surprising the dual-Wimbledon champion was not honoured in a similar way.

But this seems a fitting acknowledgement given the years Goolagong-Cawley has devoted to furthering the hopes of indigenous children using tennis and education as a tool.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, Tennis Australia will donate $100,000 to the Evonne Goolagong Cawley Foundation to further its mission statement.

This scribe has had the joy of watching the champion at her best telling her life story to school kids in the far north of the country and it is a memory to treasure.

The warmth of Goolagong Cawley’s interactions with the kids, and her ability to pass on key lessons, are skills as enviable as the magnificent volleys she used to win Wimbledon.

It is now two years since Goolagong Cawley was in Melbourne to honour the nation’s most recent grand slam champion, Ash Barty, after the Queenslander’s triumph in 2022.

She was restricted in her travel at that stage.

But the champion has been a lively presence in Melbourne during this Australian Open, which included a starring role alongside iconic 400m runner Cathy Freeman and eight-time world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore at the launch of Barty’s foundation at Kooyong Tennis Club at the start of the major.

The latter announced this week that she would be taking a hiatus for the 2024 season but would be returning to ride the world’s best breaks again in the future.

Gilmore only needed to listen to both Barty and Goolagong Cawley during the Q & A at Kooyong to realise that taking a break from professional sport can reap the richest of rewards.