Dayana Yastremska

Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska defeated Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa 6-2, 6-3 at the WTA event in Lyon, France, to reach her second quarterfinal in her last two events.

The former No. 21-ranked Yastremska fled war-torn Ukraine late last week with her 15-year-old sister, Ivanna. Yastremska was granted a wild-card entry into the Lyon singles event, and the sisters received a doubles wild card.

Staying strong

@D_Yastremska beats Bucșa and books a quarterfinal place in Lyon.#O6SML22 pic.twitter.com/ohdjEbmXp5

— wta (@WTA) March 3, 2022

“Today definitely was a little bit easier with my emotions,” Yastremska said on court, according to WTA.com, after her second-round win. “I could keep them under control, so I’m very happy with that.

“Yesterday I tried to recover myself as fast as possible to prepare for my match today, and I’m still very nervous because I really want to win the matches for my country. This tournament is very emotional for me, but I’m very happy with the win today.

“To be honest, I’m very happy that I’m here, that I’m in a safe place with my sister, and I’m happy to do the thing that I love, playing tennis. Every point that I’m playing here, I’m enjoying a lot, and especially with the situation that we have now, I’m enjoying it like a thousand times more. I’m going to try my best to win my next match.”