A week after fleeing her hometown of Odessa, Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Jastremska missed out on winning the tournament in Lyon. The 21-year-old, who competed in the blue and yellow colors of her country, lost to the Chinese Zhang Shuai 6:3, 3:6, 4:6.
“It was a very tough week for me. Thanks for the support,” Jastremska said tearfully at the award ceremony. She “fought not only for me but also for my country” throughout the tournament.
Jastremska, number 140 in the world, had reported after arriving in France that she was “woken up by bombs” when the Russian attack on Ukraine began. Her family initially sought shelter in an underground car park before Jastremska and her 15-year-old sister left their home country by ship across the Danube to Romania. Her parents stayed behind in Ukraine.
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