“If I have an unhappy face it is because my city was BOMBED 16 times in May,” Lesia Tsurenko battling the effects of Russia-Ukraine war
Tsurenko pulled off one of the biggest wins of her career till date as she demolished former French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets at Roland Garros.
Follow Us
Lesia Tsurenko
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has lasted for more than 15 months, has affected the lives of the people across the two countries. Especially Ukrainians, who day in and day out see bombings or missiles landing at their native places and can’t do much about it but hope that the war subsides sooner rather than later. One such Ukrainian who is battling on and off the court is Lesia Tsurenko.
A former top-25 player in women’s singles, Tsurenko is currently taking part in the 2023 French Open, where she caused a mighty upset in the opening round. The 33-year-old defeated 13th seed and 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova to advance to the next round.
During the post-match conference at Roland Garros, Tsurenko showed pain for her country, which is turning into a graveyard day by day as the war refuses to douse it.
“If I have an unhappy face, it’s because my city was bombed 16 times in May. Yesterday, part of a rocket landed 100 meters from my home. Probably my face is not super happy just because of that. Not because I go into the locker room and I’m, like, spreading hate towards someone,” read an excerpt from her interview posted by the Tennis Letter on Twitter.
Also Read: WATCH: Elina Svitolina confesses to screaming in room as husband Gael Monfils staged an epic comeback at the French Open
Lesia Tsurenko pulled off one of the biggest upsets of her career
Tsurenko displayed a tennis masterclass as she outwitted, outperformed, and outclassed Krejcikova for a straight-set win 6-2, 6-4. This is one of the biggest wins for her on the WTA circuit considering Krejcikova, besides winning the tringles title here two years ago, also boasts of as many as 7 majors in the doubles category and is surely one of the all-time greats.
Tsurenko will next face American Lauren Davis in the Round of 64, and now she has given herself a brighter chance to go deeper into the tournament. This shows that, though whatever is happening in her country is bothering her, Tsurenko is not letting it affect her game.
Incase you missed it:
Stay Updated!
Kushagra Gupta
(349 Articles Published)