Russia-Ukraine war: Dayana Yastremska reaches Lyon Open semis after barely escaping war

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Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska revealed last week she escaped Russia’s invasion of her country as bombs were dropping. Days later, she is playing in the semifinals of the Lyon Open in France, searching for her fourth career singles title.

Yastremska entered the French tournament as a wild card and with a heavy heart as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine escalated. Somehow, she managed to defeat Belgian Ana Bogdan in a come-from-behind victory in the round of 32. She beat Bogdan 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (9-7) to advance to the next round.

In the round of 16, Yastremska picked up a straight-set victory against qualifier Cristina Bucșa 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinal round and her toughest opponent yet.

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Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in action against Angelique Kerber of Germany in a first round match on day one of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie King National Tennis Center. (Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports/File Photo)

Jasmine Paolini was the No. 5 seed in the event with more than 270 wins as a singles player. However, Yastremska again showed no fear and upset Paolini 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

"Another win for (Ukraine)," she wrote on Instagram with #stopwar ending her post.

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On Saturday, Yastremska will face her biggest on-court challenge of the last two weeks, a matchup with second-seeded Sorana Cîrstea of Romania. Cîrstea is a veteran player who entered the tournament with more than 470 wins and two career titles. She's ranked No. 31 in the world.

"I feel so much support from everybody," Yastremska said after Friday’s victory. "Maybe in a tough