Dayana Yastremska donates Lyon Open prize money to Ukraine relief efforts

Ukrainian reached the final of the WTA Tour tournament on Sunday

Dayana Yastremska reached the Lyon Open final on Sunday and will donate all her prize money from the tournament to Ukraine relief efforts. AFP

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Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska has said she is donating her prize money from the Lyon Open to her country to help with aid efforts following Russia's invasion 10 days ago.

Yastremska, who has won three WTA titles, fled Ukraine with her younger sister with help from their parents just days after the invasion began on February 24. She said she spent two nights in an underground parking lot before they fled.

The 21-year-old reached the Lyon Open final on Sunday and looked on course for the title after taking the first set against Zhang Shuai before losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to the eighth seed, who came back from 4-2 down in the decider to clinch the title.

"The prize money I earn here I'm going to give to the Ukrainian Foundation to support Ukraine," Yastremska, draped with her country's flag around her shoulders, said at the trophy presentation.

"If Ukrainian people are watching me, I want to say 'you guys are so strong, you have an amazing spirit, and I tried to fight for Ukraine'. I want to say thanks to every single person for standing by Ukraine."

There was, however, some good news for Yastremska with the organisers of the March 9-20 WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells announcing that she was handed a wildcard into the main draw.

Italian Camila Giorgi's withdrawal paved the way for four-time major winner Naomi Osaka to move into the main draw at Indian Wells as a direct entry and freeing up a wildcard which was handed to Yastremska.

"My beloved Ukraine, I really wanted to win this one for you," Yastremska, a former world No 21 who is currently ranked 103rd, said on Twitter following her defeat in Lyon.

"I gave my absolute best throughout this week because that's what Ukrainians do!"

Yastremska is among several Ukrainian athletes who are lending their support to their country. Fellow WTA player Elina Svitolina donated her prize money from the Monterrey Open and will do likewise when she plays Indian Wells this week, while retired men's player Sergiy Stakhovsky has returned to Ukraine to fight, as have boxing champions Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Former boxing world champion brothers, Wladamir and Vitaly Klitschko, who is now Mayor of Kyiv, are also in Ukraine to defend their country.