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Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska staged a comeback to defeat American player Katie Volynets of Ukrainian descent in the first round of the WTA 250 tournament in Guangzhou.
Yastremska lost the second set and came close to defeat in the third, but recovered from a 2–5 deficit and saved three match points before winning a tense final-set tiebreak. The match lasted 2 hours and 44 minutes.
Yastremska fights back from the brink
The opening set was closely contested, with Yastremska breaking Volynets late to take it 7–5.
Volynets took control in the second set, breaking the Ukrainian’s serve twice to win 6–1.
The deciding set brought the biggest drama. Volynets led 5–2 with a double-break advantage and later had the chance to serve out the match. Yastremska fought back to level the score but immediately lost her serve again.
The Ukrainian refused to give up, breaking back once more to prevent Volynets from closing out the match. The winner was ultimately decided by a tiebreak.
Volynets came within a point of victory three times, but Yastremska saved all three match points. On her fourth opportunity, the Ukrainian converted her own match point to seal the win.
WTA 250, Guangzhou — Round of 32
Dayana Yastremska (Ukraine) def. Katie Volynets (USA) 7–5, 1–6, 7–6(7).
Yastremska’s 2026 season
Yastremska’s 2026 season has been inconsistent, although she has recorded several notable results. In May, she reached the semifinals of the WTA 125 event in Parma and later won a main-draw match at Wimbledon.
In the autumn, she advanced to the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, winning two consecutive matches. In Wuhan, she defeated Cristina Bucșa, Spain’s top-ranked player. That was Yastremska’s fifth win of the season against a top-50 opponent.
Before arriving in Guangzhou, Yastremska was outside the WTA top 100 but successfully came through qualifying. Her final-round victory over Emerson Jones brought her back into the live top 100.
Next opponent
Yastremska will face China’s Han Shi in the second round in Guangzhou. Another win would take the Ukrainian into the next stage of the tournament.
