Sports Desk, AnyTV, New Delhi
Published by: Rohit Raj
Updated Mon, 07 Mar 2022 01:30 AM IST
Summary
Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska has reached the final of the Lyon WTA Open on Saturday (March 5). A week earlier, Yastremska had narrowly escaped Russian attacks. His city of Odessa was bombed.
Dayana Yastremska
– Photo : Social Media
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Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska has reached the final of the Lyon WTA Open on Saturday (March 5). A week earlier, Yastremska had narrowly escaped Russian attacks. His city of Odessa was bombed. Yastremska, 21, draped the flag of Ukraine for the final match. She defeated second seed Sorana Cristia of Romania 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-4.
The match between Yastremska and Kristia lasted for two and a half hours. Yastremska got down on her knees after winning the match. “I’m very strong inside. So I think I can deal with everything. I’m Ukrainian and Ukrainian people are very strong. You can see it now during the war,” he told a post-bout press conference. From now on my every victory belongs to my country. It is not big in comparison to what is happening.”
Final will be held by Zhang Shuai of China
On Sunday, world number 140 Yastremska will face China’s 64th ranked Zhang Shuai. Shuai defeated France’s Caroline Garcia 6-2, 7-5 in the title semi-finals. This will be his first final after losing to Ashleigh Barty in Adelaide in 2020.
Sleep was open between bomb blasts
Yastremska had arrived in Lyon last Saturday. He had said that one day in Ukraine he had woken up in the midst of bomb blasts. Russia attacked. It is very difficult for them to reach France. Yastremska and her family spent two nights in an underground car parking lot in Odessa to escape the attacks. He crossed the Danube River by boat to reach Romania with his sister.
Father and mother remained in Ukraine
After saying goodbye to Yastremska and her 15-year-old sister, Ivanna, her father and mother remained in Ukraine. “I need to think about what I feel right now. I really can’t believe I’ve made it to the final,” Yastremska said after the tense semi-final. Yastremska has won three WTA titles, but her last title came in May 2019 in Strasbourg.