By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, March 6, 2022
Zhang Shuai drove through the final four games dispatching Dayana Yastremska 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Lyon final to capture her third career title.
Photo credit: @Open6emeSensML
Dayana Yastremska played with Ukraine in her heart. Zhang Shuai competed wtih clarity in her head to prevail in a tight Lyon final.
A determined Zhang drove through the final four games dispatching Yastremska 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in today’s Lyon final to capture her third career title.
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It is Zhang’s first WTA championship in nearly five years and her first outside of Chinese soil—she won her prior two titles in Guangzhou in 2013 and 2017.
“A big congrats to Dayana and all your team, I know it’s a big tough time for you, but you are a fighter,” Zhang said. “I saw the last three years you grow up so quick. You play unbelievable tennis. You will win a lot of tournaments you will keep going.”
It was a wild ride to the final for wild card Yastremska, who was rehabbing at home in Odessa, Ukraine when Russia invaded her nation. A tearful Dayana Yastremska and her younger sister Ivanna were sent out of the country by her parents, Alexander and Marina, who remained in Ukraine with father urging his two daughters to stick together no matter what happens.
Walking into court draped in the Ukrainian flag, Dayana Yastremska saved two match points beating Ana Bogdan in her Lyon opener and battled to her ninth win in her last 10 matches fighting off Sorana Cirstea in yesterday’s two-and-a-half hour semifinal. Yastremska was eight points from her fourth career title today, but looked a bit weary while Zhang refused to miss at critical stages and kept her composure despite some apparent heckling from a few in the crowd.
“I’ve been fighting here on court not just for myself but for my country,” Yastremska said. “I’m very happy still with the finals and it’s been a long time I haven’t played in the finals.
“Today I didn’t think I had enough emotion and I was pretty tired ,but the crowds here were amazing everyone was supporting me a lot. I felt so much power from the people here and I want to say thanks for the tournament for the wild card, thank you for the opportunity.” Afterward, Yastremska announced she will donate her entire prize money from this week to the Ukrainian Foundation to support her homeland.
“The prize money I won here I’m going to give to the Ukrainian Foundation to support Ukraine,” Yastremska said. “If Ukrainian people are watching you guys are so strong, you have an amazing spirit.
“I tried to fight for Ukraine. I want to thank every single person from Ukraine for standing by Ukraine and show the people that we have a really strong spirit.”
The 64th-ranked Zhang zapped a crosscourt backhand pass to level after four games.
Ripping her forehand with venom from the center of the court, Yastremska forced Zhang to defend rattling out the break in the sixth game. Zhang double faulted long then ballooned a forehand beyond the baseline as Yastremska broke for 4-2.
A fantastic running flick lob from the Ukrainian extended the point then Yastremska showed closing speed racing up to a drop shot and flicking a forehand pass off the line to back up the break with an athletic burst for 5-2.
Dancing around her backhand, Yastremska flashed a forehand down the line for double set point. Yastremska served out the 30-minute opener winning 13 of 17 first-serve points in the set. Yastremska belted 13 winners compared to 4 from Zhang in the opening set.
A pumped-up Yastremska banged a backhand return winner down the line then handcuffed the eighth seed with a series of blistering forehand returns to start the second set with a break. Zhang needed to make a stand and she did, converting her third break point on a Yastremska stray forehand to level after two games.
Playing with more control and testing the Ukrainian with drives down the line, Zhang broke again for 3-1. The eighth seed cruised through a love hold snatching her fourth straight game for 4-1 when a frustrated Yastremska whacked a wild backhand wide.
Serving for the second set, Zhang showed no trace of nerve stamping her second love hold in her last three service games to force a decider after 63 minutes. Zhang played much cleaner tennis in the second set committing just two unforced errors—eight less than Yastremska.
After taking a bathroom break to regroup, Yastremska returned ripping the ball with renewed vigor. Yastremska blasted a backhand return winner for double break point before tomahawking a diagonal forehand breaking for a 2-0 lead in the final set.
Shrugging off that shaky start, Zhang broke right back at love in the third game.
Drawing in her targets a bit, Yastremska was minimizing errors as she plowed through a love hold for 3-2 then smacked four heavy strikes to near break point in the sixth game. Pushed backward by the force of the Ukrainian’s backhand, Zhang netted a backhand to drop serve in the sixth game.
Zhang came right back to break back for 3-4.
Serving to level, Zhang was unnerved by what she felt was an incorrect line call—Lyon does not have line-calling technology—and complained a few fans yelled as she was about to serve. Deadlocked at deuce, Zhang engaged the chair umpire in a dialogue suggesting Yastremska was intentionally delaying before her serve.
Despite all that emotional turbulence, Zhang stood strong scraping through a tricky hold for 4-all.
A fortunate net cord shot from Zhang popped over and though Yastremska reached the ball she shoveled her down the line reply wide handing the Chinese a break point. Playing with poise, Zhang stretched her opponent then stepped in and rapped a forehand down the line breaking for 5-4.
On her third championship point, Zhang hit a strong second serve drawing an errant return to wrap up her third WTA title and first in nearly five years.