“Loss of some random tennis player,” After a harrowing loss to Aryna Sabalenka, Ukrainian WTA icon Lesia Tsurenko pens down an emotional note laced with a spine-chilling tale of bravery in the face of atrocities

Sabalenka clinched her first Grand Slam bagel (6-0, 6-0) in her match against the Ukrainian.

“Loss of some random tennis player,” After a harrowing loss to Aryna Sabalenka, Ukrainian WTA icon Lesia Tsurenko pens down an emotional note laced with a spine-chilling tale of bravery in the face of atrocities

(L) Aryna Sabalenka, (R) Lesia Tsurenko (Images via Imago/X)

Lesia Tsurenko, the 28th-seed Ukrainian tennis star, lost to defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the ongoing 2024 Australian Open on Friday (January 19) at the Rod Laver Arena. Sabalenka did not give the Ukrainian a chance to win a single game.

In that match that lasted even less than one hour, Sabalenka clinched her first Grand Slam double bagel (6-0, 6-0). Following the heartbreaking defeat, Tsurenko shared an emotional post on social media.

YouTube video

The second seed, Sabalenka, is one of the favorites to win the title this year, which Tsurenko acknowledged in her post. She first wrote about how people must be happy after her loss to the Belarusian, before revealing the condition of her friend, who was held in captivity for more than a year by the Russians and returned on the eve of the New Year.

FS Video
But you know, on the eve of the new year, my friend returned from russian captivity after 1.5 years. lost 55 kilograms of body weight and with an infection in his legs, but the main thing is that he is alive. this is real happiness. So I hope that you will also have real reasons to feel happy in your, and not because of the loss of some random tennis player whom you have never even met in your life.
Tsurenko wrote on X (formerly Twitter)

Check her post here:

Russia and Ukraine are still fighting and, as a result, the Ukrainian players are not shaking hands with the Belarusian and Russian players as a sign of protest. Tsurenka also did not shake with Sabalenka after their match.

A look at Lesia Tsurenko’s 2024 Australian Open campaign

Lesia Tsurenko played her first match of the Australian Open this year against Lucia Bronzetti and won it by 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. She won her second-round match easily by beating Rebeka Masarova 6-3, 6-4. Then her advancement to the fourth round of this Grand Slam event ended after her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.

Lesia Tsurenko
Lesia Tsurenko (Image via X)

Last year, she failed to qualify for the main draws. In the first qualifier, the Ukranian defeated Aliona Bolsova (6-1, 6-2) before getting thrashed by Leolia Jeanjean (6-4, 6-2).

The 34-year-old player has never made an advancement to the fourth round in any Australian Open event. She has not yet won a Grand Slam, but her best result in these major events came in the 2018 US Open, where she reached the quarterfinals and got beaten by the eventual winner, Naomi Osaka.

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