Ukrainian wild card Dayana Yastremska beat number 5 seed Jasmine Paolini 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in 1 hour and 41 minutes at the Open 6ème Sens-Métropole in Lyon to reach her first semifinal since Hamburg last July.
Yastremska claimed her first win in her four head-to-head matches against Paolini, who had beaten her Ukrainian opponent three times in Portoroz, Courmayeur and Linz.
The Lyon tournament welcomed Yastremska and her 15-year-old sister Ivanna, who were forced to flee the war in their native country.
Yastremska went up a break in the fifth game, but Paolini pulled back on serve in the next game to draw level to 3-3. Yastremska earned her second break in the seventh game and held on her next two service games to seal the first set 6-4.
Paolini went down a break three times in the second set, but she pegged back each time. Paolini won three consecutive games from 2-4 down to take a 5-4 lead. Yastremska was two points from losing the second set. Paolini broke back at love, when Yastremska was serving for the set at 6-5. Yastremska raced out to a 6-1 lead in the tie-break and sealed the win on her third match point.
Yastremska will take on either Sorana Cristea or Anna Bondar. “I feel so much support from everybody. Maybe in a tough moment I can hear and especially feel how people are supporting me here, and that’s another win for the Ukraine”, said Yastremska.
