(Lyon) Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska ended her match in the first round of the Lyon tennis tournament on Tuesday in tears after dominating Romania’s Ana Bogdan 3-6 7-6 (7) 7-6 in three hours and five minutes ( 7), saving two match points.

Recipient of an invitation two days before the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army, Yastremska, aged just 21, former 21^and worldwide and currently 140^andfinished the game in tears and on his knees, taken by the emotion under the applause of the Lyon public.

Yastremska was able to overcome the emotion by being very strong mentally in the key moments of the game.

“In those moments, I realized that it was nothing compared to what’s going on or the moments that I’ve been through to come this far and it really doesn’t matter,” she said. .

A little tense, she left the first set to her opponent 6-3 before recovering during an undecided second set until the end during which she saved a match point at 5-6 before equalize to play the decisive game which they won 9-7.

At the end of the last set, after missing three match points while leading 6-3, overcome by emotion, she in turn saved another match point at 6-7 before scoring. the next three points to win 9-7.

“I’ve never played such a match before in my life with such a feeling of stress. I was really very nervous. I tried to stay focused on the match, thinking point by point, but it was still difficult. I am proud to have been able to win today. I was very motivated,” she commented.

The player fled her country where she left her parents, through a journey that led her to Romania before joining Lyon, Sunday, with her sister, Ivanna (15 years old) with whom she disputed the doubles, Monday , for a first-round match that they lost.

Dayana Yastremska will face at 2^and turn, Thursday, the Spaniard Cristina Bucsa, victorious Monday of the French Alizé Cornet and resulting from the qualifications.