Shao riding Australian Open wave after sealing best Grand Slam showing

This was Yushan Shao’s first interview in English and, following her third-round victory over Anna Pushkareva, she apparently told the Australian Open interview organisers that she was a little nervous about.   

Often in such circumstances, a player will invariably have a coach or parent on hand for support but Shao appeared by herself, a towel draped around her shoulders on what was a cool and blustery morning at Melbourne Park.

She admitted to being exhausted following her 4-6 6-3 6-4 triumph which means, regardless of what happens from here, she has recorded the best Junior Grand Slam result of her fledgling career. 

It would not have helped that this interviewer was late for the scheduled meeting, but any uncertainly the 17-year-old may have had was far from obvious.  

It transpires that the 11th seed in this year’s Australian Open girls' draw, who is making her main draw debut here, is an composed off court as she is on it. 

Just 30 minutes earlier, securing a place in the quarter-finals was in the balance with Shao trailing 3-0 in the final set before being forced to leave ANZ Arena to have her right thigh strapped by a physio.

She revealed that she felt her leg seizing up in the second set. 

“I just told myself, 'stay on the court', but at 3-0, it was too tight and it was interrupting my running, so I just called a medical timeout," she said. 

The magic was immediate as Shao saw out the final set 6-4 upon her return.

“Honestly, the first game when I came back, my serving game, it was a long game," she added. "We played a lot of deuce and advantages. I just wanted to win one more game, one more game.”

"One step at a time is my thinking in every match, absolutely. I'm thinking, 'keep myself on the court and fight for every game'.”

Shao was 3-0 down in both sets against the same opponent at J300 Beijing in October 2025, but pulled though each time. That memory had a galvanising effect.

ANZ Arena is a newly re-badged show-court this year and the nearest playing area to the train station entrance at Melbourne Park. Historically a vibrant stadium where many Australians play, it was far from full when Shao played, but the experience will not be forgotten in a hurry.

“It’s an amazing tournament, I really enjoy the atmosphere here and it gave me a lot of energy also with the audience coming along to cheer," she said. 

Melbourne is proving memorable too.

“We live in a pretty good hotel 20 minutes away by bus,” she said and has been out to the large Chinatown area.

“We were out as a team. Like so many of the Chinese here, we practice together and one night we just wanted to go there to eat something and we went together.”

Given her willingness to talk, Beijing-born Shao then ventured into her personal life.

“I started playing tennis when I was five years old, I think, or five and a half, something like that," she said. 

Her parents were keen for her to excel in one area if possible “and they chose tennis because my mom can play a bit”.

Aryan Sabalenka has long been an idol and Shao has met her many times at the China Open, but is yet to practice with her.

“That would be really nice,” she said.

The quarter-finals, where she will face Rada Zolotareva, will call for the correct mindset and the ability to put all the excitement to one side. 

“I keep telling myself to keep stay positive on the court, no matter if the situation is good or bad," she said. "If there's a problem I keep trying to solve it.”

A full list of results from the 2026 Australian Open Junior Championships is available here.