WTA Lyon: Quarterfinals! Dayana Yastremska defies all odds
The UkrainianDayana Yastremska is in the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 tournament in Lyon. Her arrival in France was preceded by a dramatic flight.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Mar 03, 2022, 08:41 pm
There are days when sport doesn't even play a supporting role anymore. For Dayana Yastremska , given the events in Ukraine, there are actually much more important things than tennis at the moment, but the 21-year-old is already in the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 tournament in Lyon.
In the round of 16, Yastremska clearly beat the Spaniard Cristina Bucsa 6:2 and 6:3. The second encounter in the French city was designed for the world number 128. much easier than the opening game, in which she saved two match points against Ana Bogdan.
Yastremska leaves "Heart in Ukraine"
The game against the Romanian was "from an emotional point of view the toughest game" of her career, Yastremska told "Eurosport" after the win. "I can't describe how I felt. I said on the pitch that my heart stayed in Ukraine and my spirit will fight on the court. It's really difficult to find a balance."
Yastremska's arrival in Lyon was preceded by a dramatic escape with her 15-year-old sister Ivanna, as she told "Eurosport": "The war started on the morning of February 24, the bombs fell. In the evening my father made the decision to leave the country to leave the next morning, he wanted to go with us in a van via Izmail to Romania and then on to Lyon.On the 24th, all flights were canceled, everything was closed.It was also too dangerous to take the car because that country has been bombed and you never know where the bombs will land."
"We don't know how this is going to end"
The family then made a far-reaching decision: "We made the decision together that our mother would stay with our father so that he would not be alone. We cried a lot when we entered the boat that took us down the river to Romania crossed. We saw our parents and we cried a lot because we didn't know when and where we would see them next. We don't know how this is going to end."
Given the circumstances, it seems all the more remarkable that Yastremska is now in the quarter-finals in Lyon. "I was nervous because I wanted to win for my country. It means a lot to me. I'm glad I'm in a safe place," said the Ukrainian after the win over Bucsa. In the round of eight she will face Jasmine Paolini or Tamara Korpatsch on Friday.