Two Ukrainian sisters who escaped from their home when bombs started falling will be in Indian Wells on Friday.
Dayana finished runner-up in the singles in Lyon, and Ivanna made her debut in the doubles with her sister.
The sisters are playing Monica Niculescu and Irina Camelia-Begu in California.
Dayana said they are more like friends.
Dayana is 21 and Ivanna is 15. The older sister had to take on some parental responsibilities.
She said it was a high responsibility on her now that they were spending that much time together.
I'm trying my best. I want to make her feel happy so she can relax. She is small and misses her parents, but she is tall and big.
When I lost the final in Lyon, she started to cry and said she wanted to see her parents. I had to try and calm her down because I felt very bad.
The sisters spent two nights in an underground car park with their parents in the Black Sea city of Odessa.
Their father decided they should leave the country as soon as possible, and so they traveled to the border with their mother.
The sisters traveled on without their mother to Lyon to compete on the tour because she decided to return to her husband.
It is not always easy for them to speak to their parents as the internet is intermittent and they are spending some of their time underground. There is no damage to the home.
Dayana explained that they are living on the side of Odessa, where they are not usually putting bombs, rockets and shooting.
Our house is close to the sea and it is not in danger of being destroyed. It is dangerous because our house is high and it is one of the best apartments in Odessa. We are living on floor 12.
The Ukrainian flag is draped around Dayana's shoulders as she walks onto the court. She did it in Lyon, where only Zhang Shuai could stop her in the final, and then again in Indian Wells on Wednesday, when she lost a tight three-set match.
When we arrived in Lyon, I knew I had to play well. If you play well, you have more chance to talk about your story, and more people can hear you, so I have to play for myself and my country.
I don't try to put together people's personality with their politics. I stay the same with the Russian players when I meet them.
They are supporting and asking how your family is, and I think they understand what is going on. I'm okay with everyone.
Currently outside the world's top 100, but has won three WTA titles and been as high as 21 in the rankings.
She missed the first six months of last year after testing positive. An independent tribunal accepted the positive test had been contaminated and lifted the ban.
At a time when her thoughts are with her family and friends in Ukraine, she has a career to think about.
Dayana and Ivanna will stay together. They plan on moving to Miami next, and possibly to either Istanbul or Bogota.
Dayana said at the end of our conversation that she was not sure if we would be going back to Ukraine.
We will go to see the family if the war ends. We are going to fly from one tournament to another if not.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
