Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska and her younger sister both fled Ukraine on Friday. They are now safe in Lyon, France.
The No. 121 player player in the world updated her fans on Instagram Friday explaining that she and her 15-year-old sister were leaving Ukraine on a boat, per their parent’s wishes. Their parents remain in Ukraine, as Russian forces continue their invasion of the country.
As Yastremska and her sister boarded the boat a day after Russia began its invasion in Ukraine, she shared to ESPN the last message her father told her.
“I don’t know how this war will end, but you must take care of each other, and strive for your dreams, build your new life and always be together,” her father said to her. “Don’t worry about us, everything will be fine.”
Despite the horror Yastremska has experienced in the last few days, she still plans to play in the Lyon Open, which begins on Monday. The 21-year-old will face Romanian Ana Bogdan in her first match in France.
Yastremska detailed her journey of escaping Ukraine to ESPN. She and her sister first arrived in Romania in order to catch a flight to France, as no flights are going in and out of Ukraine. Once in France, the tournament director of the Lyon Open welcomed them.
She has continued to contact her parents back in Ukraine, and they are staying in a parking garage for the time being. Yastremska previously stayed in the garage, she said on her Instagram post.
“I am scared for my parents, my friends, and everybody in my country,” Yastremska said. “For you to understand what a missile strike is like, you need to feel it. But, I wish [nobody] has to ever feel this [pain].”
