Only stopped in the final in Lyon – Fled, fought, shone: The surreal journey of Jastremska – Sport

The Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Jastremska is currently experiencing an emotional roller coaster ride. Your story moves.

Dajana Jastremska (WTA 128) had to fight Sorana Cirstea (ROM/WTA 30) on the court for more than two and a half hours on Saturday before her entry into the final in Lyon was certain. “I have to think about how I’m feeling right now. I don’t even realize that I’m in the final,” said the Ukrainian.

Indeed, it’s hard to imagine the emotional rollercoaster the 21-year-old has been through since the start of the Russian invasion of her home country.

Fled with 15-year-old sister

In Odessa, a port city on the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, Jastremska spent two nights in an underground car park to protect herself from possible Russian attacks. On February 25, her parents decided to take her out of the country and to safety along with her younger sister Ivana, who also plays tennis.

The family made it to the Romanian border by car, where parents and children parted ways. “My mother didn’t want to leave my father alone, so they went back to Ukraine together,” said Jastremska in the tennis podcast No Challenges Remaining. The sisters finally left their home country, which was under fire, by ship across the Danube.

Tennis as a distraction from war

From Romania, Dajana and Ivana Jastremska flew to Lyon, where the organizers of the WTA 250 tournament had promised the sisters a wildcard. The 21-year-old and the 15-year-old competed together just 3 days after their escape in doubles, where they failed in the first round at the Swiss Xenia Knoll, who competed with Georgina Garcia-Perez (ESP).

In singles, however, Dajana Jastremska could hardly be stopped. After her hard-fought opening win against Ana Bogdan (WTA 97), the Ukrainian fell to the ground, overwhelmed by the emotions of the past few days. Shortly after, she shared a touching moment with her Romanian opponent at the net.

«My victories are for Ukraine»

Jastremska’s emotions didn’t diminish during the tournament. She then also defeated Cristina Bucsa (ESP/WTA 139), Jasmine Paolini (ITA/WTA 48) and Cirstea. Only in the final against the Chinese Zhang Shuai (WTA 64) did the sports fairy tale come to an end. Jastremska lost in 3 hard-fought sets 6:3, 3:6, 4:6 after leading 2:0 with a break in the deciding set.

The defeat in the final in no way diminished Jastremska’s almost unbelievable willpower in Lyon. “I’m incredibly proud to be Ukrainian. And I’m proud of how all Ukrainians stand together for freedom. That gives me the strength to fight on the tennis court. My victories are for Ukraine,” the 21-year-old said after the semifinals.