Russian Missile Strike Destroys Ukranian Tennis Player's Apartment, Only A French Open Towel Survives

Ukraine tennis star Dayana Yastremska's home destroyed in Russian missile attack© Instagram

The horrors of the Russia-Ukraine war continue to haunt the world, and this time, tennis star Dayana Yastremska was among those affected. On Saturday, Russia launched a missile and drone attack on Ukraine's Odesa, causing significant damage to life and property. Yastremska was also a victim of the strike, as her family home was destroyed by a Kalibr missile during the attack. Taking to social media, Yastremska shared several harrowing images of the aftermath, highlighting the extent of the destruction caused by the missile strike.

Among the photos was an image of a Roland Garros towel, which, according to Yastremska, was the only item that survived the attack.

"Tonight. This is what the 'Russian world' looks like. A direct hit by a Kalibr cruise missile. A Russian missile destroyed our apartment in Odesa. The only thing that survived was a Roland Garros towel," wrote the Australian Open 2024 semi-finalist on Instagram.

Yastremska also urged the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to take action and support her during this difficult time.

"A piece of world tennis survived a Russian missile. Our home did not. @wta @itf_reviews Look at these images through our eyes. This is the true meaning of your 'neutrality' - from the Ukrainian side of the court," she wrote.

However, this was not the first time Yastremska had been affected by a Russian attack. On December 31, 2024, she revealed that a building where her grandmother lived had also been damaged.

Talking about Yastremska, the Ukraine star's last appearance on court came in August this year where she lost in the first round of US Open 2026 against Lucrezia Stefanini.

Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka to clinch the US Open 2026, women's singles title on Sunday (IST). Kazakhstan's Rybakina beat two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to claim her third Grand Slam title.

She'd already assured herself of toppling Sabalenka from the number one spot just by reaching the semi-finals. "I can't find words right now, honestly," Rybakina said. "I don't expect nothing like this coming to this tournament. I've been dealing with a little bit with an injury, but somehow everything aligned together on my side."

(With AFP inputs)

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