SUMMARY
- Ukrainian tennis star Dayana Yastremska is living through the ordeals of the Russia-Ukraine war.
- She shared harrowing footage of herself taking shelter from missiles in Odessa.
Ukrainian star Dayana Yastremska lit up the Australian Open last month. She made history as she dominated her way to the semifinals despite being a qualifier. Yastremska gave her countrymen something to cheer about amid the ongoing war with Russia. However, it has barely been two weeks since the tournament ended, and Dayana has had to take cover from missile strikes already.
The tensions from the Ukraine-Russia war have bled onto the tennis courts too. Many Ukrainian players have taken a stand against it by refusing to shake hands with Russians and Belarusians. Dayana herself has been very vocal about it, even urging the tennis bodies to take action.
Yastremska flew back home to Odessa after her brilliant run in Melbourne, and she was greeted by missiles. She took to social media to share a harrowing clip from when missiles started raining down on them.
It was a very tough and long day for many of our cities…
Here is Dayana Yastremska and her family and pets hiding in an underground car park at night during the latest Russia’s attack on her hometown Odesa. pic.twitter.com/xXAvXe3khE
— Ukrainian Tennis • BTU (@ukrtennis_eng) February 8, 2024
Dayana was walking her dog when it happened. She took cover in a parking lot with her family and documented her ordeal. The sound of the oncoming missiles shocked her, and she confessed that it was the scariest night of her life.
“Today is the scariest night for me. I’ve heard more than ever rockets near by me. And we’re still here at the parking. People, if we can call you people, can you stop doing this sh*t?” she says in the clip.
Dayana Yastremka has suffered the consequences of the war, but she is just one voice among many. Her journey at the Australian Open was inspirational, but she is currently living through a nightmare.
Dayana Yastremska had her break-out run at the Australian Open
Yastremska is intimately familiar with survival, be it in life or on the court. She had to fight her way through three difficult qualifying rounds to make it to the main draw. Once she did, there was no looking back for Dayana.
Yastremksa demolished Marketa Vondrousova, the Wimbledon champion, in the first round. She followed it up with wins against Emma Navarro and Victoria Azarenka, the two-time Grand Slam champion. Dayana then stunned Linda Noskova to become the first qualifier in 46 years to make it to the last four.
Dayana Yastremska becomes the first qualifier to reach the semifinals of the women’s singles draw at the Australian Open since 1978.
Fairytale. 💙💛 pic.twitter.com/cdUwVpxBkC
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 24, 2024
The Ukrainian player finally met her match in Qinwen Zheng, who defeated her 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets. Zheng crushed Yastremska’s dreams, but the Ukrainian star left her mark on the court.
Dayana Yastremska is a delightfully exciting player. She may not have been able to replicate her success at the Linz Open, but she has a lot to look forward to.