Dayana Yastremska – Ana Bogdan exclusively after the match against the Ukrainian: “I was ashamed of her”

After her 3: 6, 7: 6, 7: 6 win, the 21-year-old Ukrainian fell to the ground and began to cry. At the net, Yastremska and Bogdan hugged for a long time, exchanged warm words. “I congratulated her for how hard she fought and how well she played,” revealed the 29-year-old Romanian exclusive interview with Eurosport.

“She cried and told me how difficult it was for her,” Bogdan said. “I told her that she was very strong and that she can do it and that she will play well in the next matches,” she revealed. She also gave Yastremska courage on the net because of the situation in her home country, telling her not to “worry, because someone from above is helping her.”

“When I hugged her at the net I could see how impressed she was with this situation and that she had won the match. I don’t know how much she realized that she had won,” Bogdan explained.

Bodgan contacted Yastremska

“I was overwhelmed by my feelings,” Bogdan admitted. “Even when I screamed to encourage myself, I didn’t feel good. I felt embarrassed in front of her, I felt like it wasn’t fair,” the 29-year-old said.

The two players had already contacted each other before their match. “I sent her a message and asked her how she was,” Bogdan revealed Eurosport. Yastremska replied that she would try to come to Lyon. However, the 21-year-old didn’t know at the time whether she would reach France in time.

The next day, Bogdan received the game plan and saw that she would face Yastremska.

“I didn’t know how to deal with it. I was sorry that I had to play against them. But I said to myself, I have to stay strong. It’s a competition, a match,” said Bogdan. But considering the circumstances surrounding Yastremska, Bogdan explained: “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

Bogdan hopes for Yastremska to win the tournament

Therefore, the result of the game for the 29-year-old also took a back seat. “This moment is more than a tennis match. It’s something between two people, two souls,” said Bogdan.

Already on Wednesday after the encounter, the Romanian posted an emotional post on Instagram. Yastremska then replied, “Thank you for everything! A day and a moment to remember”, attaching a heart and a Romanian and Ukrainian national flag to the message.

“She’s 21 years old. To flee with just a bag, without leaving your parents or a loved one behind, not knowing if you’ll ever see her again – I tried to put myself in her shoes. And it made a deep impression on me.” , admired Bogdan.

On Friday afternoon, Yastremska made it into the semi-finals in Lyon with a 6: 4, 7: 6 (7: 3) over the Italian Jasmine Paolini. Bogdan had previously im exclusive interview with Eurosport said: “I wish her from the bottom of my heart that she wins the tournament. It would be a moment that she would not forget in her life.”