Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko showed support for her war-torn country by wearing a yellow and blue ribbon during a second round win over compatriot Anhelina Kalinina at Wimbledon.
The Ukrainian duo were well supported on Court 12 and after a slight delay due to rain, produced two hours and 30 minutes of high-quality tennis.
It was Tsurenko who progressed 3-6 6-4 6-3 and in the process dumped out world number 34 Kalinina in a mini-shock in round two.
Kalinina, the Ukraine number one, made a strong start and moved 3-0 up but had to save three break points in a 10-minute ninth game before she sealed the first set.
Tsurenko had beaten Briton’s Jodie Burrage in the first round and was able to get back on level terms to force a decider.
With a number of Ukraine flags unveiled in the stand during the break between set, the support of the British public in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was clear for both players to see.
It appeared Kalinina would triumph after she went 3-1 ahead in the decider but Tsurenko dug deep and reeled off the next five games to secure a memorable win.
The Ukraine number five had been on course to face second seed Anett Kontaveit in the third round but the Estonian suffered a shock loss to Jule Niemeier.
It opens the door for world number 101 Tsurenko to better her previous best run at Wimbledon of reaching the last-32 in 2017 and continue putting the focus on the plight of those back in her home country.
