Dayana Yastremska on Saturday said she did not expect the support she has received on her run to the final of the Lyon Open.

This was after the Ukrainian edged second seed Sorana Cirstea in a three-set semi-final thriller.

She was forced to flee her home in Odessa last month amid the escalation of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and has embarked on an emotional run through this week’s tournament.

Yet the 21-year-old wildcard admitted she has been overwhelmed by the support from across the globe amid her winning streak.

She credited them for their help in her 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-4 victory on Saturday.

“It was a really tough match,” Yastremska said. “In the third set, when I had match points and I lost that game, I was a bit crazy. I thought, I’m done, I’ve lost, because I don’t have any more power.

“Then, everybody was supporting me, and I felt like, ‘you can do it’. I got a lot of messages from French people and from all over the world. But when I arrived here, I didn’t expect I would get that huge support.”

Yastremska will face Zhang Shuai in Sunday’s final, after the Chinese eighth seed defeated French home favourite Caroline Garcia 6-2 7-5.

For Yastremska, it will be her first final since losing to Ash Barty in Adelaide at the start of 2020 – her only previous tournament success came in Strasbourg the year before.

(dpa/NAN)