Ukraine's Yastremska reflects on hiding from bombs, after tennis return

Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska said she was "woken up by the bombs" during Russia's invasion before fleeing her country last week, after playing with her younger sister in a doubles match at the WTA tournament in Lyon on Monday.

The 21-year-old and her sister Ivanna, 15, were given a wild card into the doubles draw after escaping Ukraine, travelling by car, on foot, by boat and by plane to reach France.

They lost 6-2, 6-4 to Spaniard Georgina Garcia-Perez and Switzerland's Xenia Knoll in the first round, but understandably their focus was on what is happening back home.

"I am very proud of my sister but at the same time, we did not have too much energy because of what is happening in Ukraine," Dayana Yastremska, who said she went three nights without sleep, told a press conference.

Her sister did not speak to the press, but wore a Ukrainian flag on her shoulders, as she had done when walking out for the match earlier in the day.

Dayana, who reached a career-high singles ranking of 21st in 2020, received a wild card to the Lyon tournament last Tuesday, two days before Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

"On Wednesday, we were at home in Odessa," she said. "We were spending time with our family before making this long trip to Lyon with my father.

"The evening was pleasant, but the next morning we were woken up by bombs.

"We didn't realise or understand what was going on ... It was crazy. It wasn't a film or a video game - we were very shocked...

"We left the apartment to take shelter in the underground car park while the bombs continued to explode."

Dayana then recounted her journey to reach Romania and then France after her father, who stayed behind in Ukraine, decided to send his wife and two daughters away to safety.

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