By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday January 22, 2021
Dayana Yastremska flew to Melbourne with the hope that her provisional ban from tennis would be reversed by the ITF. The Ukrainian, ranked 29 and 20 years of age, who was banned in January when a urine sample that she had provided for an out-of-competition test on 24 November was found to contain a metabolite of mesterolone, a synthetic testosterone, had appealed the decision, pleading her innocence.
It was a surprise for many to see Yastremska boarding the plane en route to Melbourne, given the odds of a reinstatement, but she gave it a shot nevertheless.
But we learned on Saturday that Yastremska’s appeal has been denied.
“An application by Dayana Yastremska to lift the provisional suspension imposed on her on 7 January 2021 under Article 8.3.1(c) of the 2020 Tennis Anti-Doping Programme has been denied by the Chair of the Independent Tribunal convened to hear her case,” WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) said in a statement. “This decision is subject to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by Ms. Yastremska, WADA and the National Anti-Doping Center of Ukraine.”