'We need your help': All-Ukrainian clash at Wimbledon puts focus beyond tennis

By Issy Ronald, CNN

Updated 1657 GMT (0057 HKT) June 28, 2022

Tsurenko (left) reached the third-round at Wimbledon in 2017 while Kalinina (right) is seeded 29th

(CNN)With its strawberries and cream, grassy slopes, and peaceful setting in a leafy part of London, Wimbledon is a world away from Ukraine, where the bombs still fall four months after Russia invaded.

For the Ukrainians competing at SW19, however, the war never truly leaves them. On Wednesday, Anhelina Kalinina will face Lesia Tsurenko in an all-Ukrainian second-round match they hope can draw attention to the continued plight of their country.Since Russia began its war in Ukraine in February, millions of refugees have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, and for Kalinina, her family is among the uprooted.Kalinina's win against Bondar was her first main-draw victory at Wimbledon.She confirmed to reporters on Monday that her parents' home in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin had been bombed, saying «they are alive, they are safe» but «living on the bags and praying every day.» Read More«There are huge holes in the house, like huge holes,» she said, before revealing the family were now living with her and her husband. «It's a very small apartment for my family, because, like, my mum, my dad, my brother, and they have pets.»They are so happy, and we are grateful… that they have a place to move from Irpin city because Irpin is fully bombed."Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina on a 'mission' to help war-torn country «I'm helping a lot my grandmother and grandfather who are in occupied territory now,» she added.«They can't leave. So next door is like Russian soldiers with all their military stuff.»After Kalinina defeated Anna Bondar 4-6 6-2 6-4 in the first round, she