Ukrainian tennis sensation Dayana Yastremska, 18, bagged the Thailand Open title on Sunday, making the words of all-time great Serena Williams, who told the youngster "not to cry" and that she would “make it” seem prophetic.
Yastremska defeated Australian player Ajla Tomljanovic, seven years her senior at 25, in the final at Hua Hin, coming back from a first set loss to win 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3) and clinch the bizarre Dolphin-shaped trophy, and move up to world number 34 in the ATP rankings on Monday.
Upon winning the deciding tiebreak, Yastremska fell to the court and began sobbing on her back, reminiscent of the tears she shed after being crushed by Serena at the Australian Open 2019 round of 32 last month.
Yastremska broke hearts after breaking down after her 6-2, 6-1 straight sets loss in Melbourne, Yastremska was told by the American: “you did amazing, don’t cry”, and also that she was “gonna make it.”
"As she was walking towards the net, I could tell [Yastremska] was quite upset," the 37-year-old Williams said.
"I kind of liked that. It shows she wasn't just there to play a good match, she was there to win. She wanted to win. That really broke my heart. I think she's a good talent. It's good to see that attitude."
Also on rt.com 'You did amazing, don't cry!': Serena consoles tearful teenager Yastremska at Aus Open (VIDEO)But despite the advice warning not to cry from Serena, Yastremska could not hide her emotions upon her win. This time, however, the tears were for all the right reasons, as the youngster came back from 5-2 down in the final set to clinch win her second career WTA singles.
Not everyone was impressed by her on-court play, as tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios, Tomljanovic’s boyfriend and fellow Australian, who said Yastremska’s pivotal medical timeout in the match was “trash”.