'Every win from now on goes to my country' - Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska reaches Lyon Open final

Published 05/03/2022 at 21:36 GMT

Dayana Yastremska spent two days in an underground car park in Ukraine sheltering from the Russian invasion and had to escape with her 15-year-old sister. However she was still able to compete in the Lyon Open, reaching Sunday's final She said she would dedicate each of her wins to her country.

'Another win for me and my country' - Yastremska

Ukrainian wildcard Dayana Yastremska reached the final of the Lyon Open after beating Sorana Cirstea 7-6(5) 4-6 6-4 in an epic match.

It took just over two and a half hours for her to secure the victory as she set up the final against China’s Zhang Shuai, who beat French rival Caroline Garcia 6-2 7-5 in her semi-final tie.

The 21-year-old Yastremska had escaped from Ukraine due to the invasion by Russia, and after spending two nights in an underground car park in her home country she left with her 15-year-old sister.

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She has negotiated the tournament in France despite the distraction and concern caused by following events back in Ukraine, but has been warmly received by French crowds, and said she would dedicate her wins to her country.

"It was a really tough match," she said. "In the third set, when I had match points and I lost that game, I was a bit crazy. I thought, I'm done, I've lost, because I don't have any more power. And then everybody was supporting me, supporting me, and I felt like, you can do it.

"When I posted pictures on Instagram that I left my home, I got a lot of messages from French people and from all over the world. But when I arrived here, I didn't expect I would get that huge support."

Yastremska explained that keeping up with events had disrupted her sleep and occupied much of her time.

"I read a lot of news every day," she explained. "Sometimes during the night I get messages from groups with the news; sometimes I wake up and read what's going on, especially with my city. So I wouldn't say I sleep here really good. I wake up pretty tired in the morning.

"But maybe it's just my spirit that is pretty strong right now - that's why I think I can deal with everything. I'm Ukrainian, and Ukrainian people are very strong. You can see that now during the war. Maybe I'm also strong.

"Every win from now on goes to my country. Compared to what's going on, it has no big meaning."

Tennis