LYON, France – The adventure continues for Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, the 128th player in the world to qualify for the semifinals of the Lyon tennis tournament on Friday following her 6-5, 7-6 victory over Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. (3).
This is the third success for Yastremska, which ranked 21st in the WTA before falling in the ranking after a doping case from which it was acquitted.
“I am very happy to have reached the semi-finals because it has been a long time since I was there,” she said as she left the stadium, dedicating her success to her grandmother, whose birthday it was.
“This is another victory for me and for Ukraine. It was very difficult to play, very moving especially the second set which was really very tight. “I was always very motivated to win,” added the player, who arrived in Lyon on Saturday with her sister Ivanna, 15, with whom she played the first round of the double table on Monday.
They left father and mother at the border between Ukraine and Romania before arriving in Bucharest from where they flew to France.
“I did not play the game I wanted due to lack of concentration. That’s why I made some mistakes. I appreciate and enjoy playing here in Lyon with the support of the audience that helps me. “I was motivating myself and I have to fight”, the Odessa player commented again.
“When I arrived in Lyon I was really tired emotionally and mentally, but I feel the energy is coming back and of course I want to win every game,” he concluded.
In the semifinals, Dayana Yastremska will face, on Saturday, the winner of the match between the Hungarian Ana Bondar, 79th in the world, at the end of the day, with Sorana Cirstea from Romania (no. 30), number 2.
