Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska is moving on to the third round of Wimbledon, continuing an impressive year on grass. Her road to the last 33 began with a headline-making upset, when she toppled recent Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff, 7-6(3), 6-1. The World No. 42 then clawed her way back from a set down to beat Anastasia Zakharova, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(8), in a tiebreak.
Leading up to Wimbledon, Yastremska claimed six of eight matches on grass, coming in as the runner-up at Nottingham (against McCartney Kessler) and reaching the Eastbourne quarterfinals (losing to eventual finalist Alexandra Eala).
Until then, here are some quick facts about the unseeded underdog:
A young star
At only 25 years old, Yastremska already boasts an impressive record. She saw early success at the junior level, finishing as the runner-up at the 2016 Wimbledon girls’ singles event and reaching No. 6 in ITF rankings.
She made her WTA main draw debut as a wild card at the 2016 İstanbul Cup—at the age of 15. Despite losing that first match, she returned to Istanbul the following year as a wild card and secured her first tour-level quarter-final.
After continued success on the ITF Pro Circuit, the then-teenager became the first woman born in the 2000s to make the Top 100 on the WTA rankings, at No. 100 in 2018. She was then nominated for the 2019 WTA Newcomer of the Year.
She’s a talent on the court and in the…studio?
High School Musical’s Troy Bolton might have some competition. Along with being an incredible athlete, Yastremska is also a singer. She released her first single during COVID-19, a pop track entitled “Thousands of Me.”
“I just like to sing,” Yastremska wrote in an Instagram post in 2020. “I like this whole atmosphere. It's much easier for me on the tennis court, than being in the studio, standing near the microphone, and singing, it's such a stress for me!”
She might have a grass court allergy
Yastremska certainly isn’t allergic to winning on grass, but she might be allergic to the surface itself. In June, Yastremska became first Ukrainian player to reach a WTA Tour final on grass in 17 years, after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Poland's Magda Linette at the Nottingham Open. She was thrilled with her win, but revealed that playing on the surface is tougher for her than it looks.
“I really love playing on grass, even though I think I have a bit of an allergy to it,” she said at the tournament.
For more from London, including complete draws and schedules, visit Wimbledon's official website.
