Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, wrapped in the Ukrainian national flag, reacts at the end of the WTA 6eme Sens Open semi-final tennis match against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in Lyon, on March 5, 2022. – Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska reached the Lyon WTA final on Saturday, just a week after escaping Russian bomb attacks on her home city of Odessa. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP)
Dayana Yastremska’s unexpected run to the Lyon Open final ended in defeat on Sunday but the Ukrainian said she would donate her prize money towards aid efforts following Russia’s invasion of her country 10 days ago.
Yastremska, who has won three WTA titles, fled Ukraine with her younger sister with help from their parents just days after the invasion began on Feb. 24. She said she spent two nights in an underground parking lot before they fled.
My beloved Ukraine, I really wanted to win this one for you!! 💙💛🥺I gave my absolute best throughout this week because that’s what Ukrainians do!Thank you for all the support I received this week, it means the world to me. I am forever grateful!🇫🇷#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/qdJVsWkf8d
— Dayana Yastremska (@D_Yastremska) March 6, 2022
The 21-year-old took the first set against Zhang Shuai before losing 3-6 6-3 6-4 to the eighth seed, who came back from 4-2 down in the decider to clinch the title.
“The prize money I earn here I’m going to give to the Ukrainian Foundation to support Ukraine,” Yastremska, who draped her country’s flag around her shoulders, said at the trophy presentation.
“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’.
“I want to say thanks to every single person for standing by Ukraine.”
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation”.
There was, however, some good news for Yastremska with the organizers of the March 9-20 WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells announcing that she was handed a wildcard into the main draw.
Italian Camila Giorgi’s withdrawal paved the way for four-time major winner Naomi Osaka to move into the main draw at Indian Wells as a direct entry and freeing up a wildcard which was handed to Yastremska.
“My beloved Ukraine, I really wanted to win this one for you,” Yastremska, a former world number 21 who is currently ranked 103rd, said on Twitter following her defeat in Lyon.
“I gave my absolute best throughout this week because that’s what Ukrainians do!”