WATCH: Ukrainian Star Dayana Yastremska Breaks Down in Tears After a Resilient Run in WTA Lyon Open

Ukraine has been going through some tough times recently. As a result, many Ukrainian players on both the tennis tours have come out in support of their nation. Top WTA player Elina Svitolina is one such athlete who has declared that she’ll be redistributing her earnings to help the army and the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Another rising star who turned heads recently with her resilience and courage on court was Dayana Yastremska, who is currently ranked no.120 amongst women’s singles players.

Competing in Ukrainian colours, Yastremska received a wildcard for the event. She proved her mettle by defeating the Romanian second seed Sorana Cirstea in the semis and went on to face Zhang Shuai in the finals. Even though she fought hard, she could not persevere against the Chinese.

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Dayana Yastremska delivers an emotional speech

As is expected, the events of the last few days caught up to the Ukrainian. She broke down a few times while delivering her acceptance speech for the runner-up position. While she applauded Shuai for her incredible run, she was upset that she could not win the title. She elaborated on how she wanted to win the tournament for the sake of her country.

Yastremska praised the unwavering support from the crowd in Lyon that made her go on. “I was pretty tired but the crowds here and people since I just arrived here, it’s been amazing. Everybody was supporting me a lot. And I felt so much power from the people here.”

The Ukrainian star continued, “The prize money I earn here I’m gonna give to the Ukrainian Foundation to support the Ukraine. And if Ukrainian people are watching me, I want to say your guys are so strong, you have an amazing spirit. And I tried to fight for Ukraine and I want to say thanks to every single person from Ukraine for standing by the Ukraine and showing the people that we have a really strong spirit.”

Yastremska also tweeted about the match and dedicated her run at Lyon to the people of Ukraine, expressing her gratefulness for their continued support.

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