Ukrainian tennis star Dayana Yastremska has been beaten in the final of the Lyon Open by Zhang Shuai, but having only escaped the Russian invasion of her country last week, it was an incredible achievement from the 21-year-old.
Yastremska lost 3-6, 63, 6-4 to Zhang, but was only thinking of Ukraine after defeat when she spoke to the crowd in France while holding her country’s flag.
‘It’s been a tough week,’ said Yastremska. ‘If Ukrainian people are watching me, I want to say “you guys are so strong, you have an amazing spirit, and I tried to fight for Ukraine“.
‘The prize money I earn here I’m going to give to the Ukrainian Foundation to support Ukraine.
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‘Thanks to the public for the support. I’ve been fighting all week, not only for myself but also for my country.
‘Everybody was supporting me a lot. I felt so much power from the people here.’
Yastremska explained her incredible ordeal last week, escaping Ukraine with her sister, but having to leave her parents at home.
‘The journey [from Odessa] took four hours to reach the Danube at the Romanian border,’ she said after her first round win in Lyon.
‘We were afraid of bombs or of meeting Russian tanks. There was a long line of cars at the border and we ended up walking. That’s where we said goodbye to our parents, because our mother said at the last moment she would stay with dad.
‘We were shocked, but at the same time we didn’t want our father to be there alone. Ivanna started crying a lot and I had to keep my emotions in check because I took a big responsibility.’
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