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Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska is grateful to the French people for the support she has received over the last week. Last Friday, Yastremska announced her parents decided to send her and her sister out of Ukraine "at any cost." The Yastremska sisters safely got to France as Yastremska is playing at this week's WTA event in Lyon.
"After spending two nights in the underground parking ,my parents made a decision at any cost to send me and my little sister out of Ukraine! Mom, Dad, we love you very much, take care of yourself!!! I love you my country!
Ukrainians take care of your lives," Yastremska wrote on Instagram last Friday.
Yastremska through to the Lyon final
On Saturday, Yastremska edged out Romania's Sorana Cirstea 7-6 (5) 4-6 6-4 to reach the Lyon final. After the match, Yastremska took a moment to thank the French people.
"When I posted pictures on Instagram that I had left my home, I got a lot of messages from French people and people all over the world, and when I arrived here I didn't expect I would get that huge support. Really, really thank you to everybody.
I don't know what else to say," Yastremska said, per Tennis Majors. Yastremska witnessed a horror before fleeing Ukraine. "On Wednesday, we were at home in Odessa. We were spending time with our family before making this long trip to Lyon with my father.
The evening was pleasant, but the next morning we were woken up by bombs. We didn't realise or understand what was going on. It was crazy. It wasn't a film or a video game -- we were very shocked," Yastremska said after arriving to Lyon," Yastremska said earlier this week.
Yastremska is now a win away from winning her first WTA title since 2019. Yastremska is set to battle Zheng Saisai in the Lyon final.