“It’s not so easy because the war is continuing. Sometimes, it’s impossible to play but I try to do my best because I want to live in Ukraine,” Snigur said. Source: Shutterstock.
Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur delivered a major upset against two-time grand slam winner Simona Halep in the US Open first round.
Snigur, the No.124 ranked player in the world, produced the shocking upset against the seventh seed Halep in her very first grand slam match.
The 20-year-old lost her form in the second set completely but rallied to win the match 6-2, 0-6, 6-4
The former junior No.2 and 2019 junior Wimbledon champion gave an emotional message for her country after her US Open debut.
“This is a victory for Ukraine, for all Ukrainian people, for my family, for my team,” she said on the court.
“The situation is bad, of course. I try to do the best for Ukraine, I try to support my country.
“It’s not so easy because the war is continuing. Sometimes, it’s impossible to play but I try to do my best because I want to live in Ukraine.”
Daria Snigur’s victory came against one of the hottest players in tennis in Halep, who had won the Canadian Open earlier this month and 19 of her last 22 matches coming into the US Open.
Snigur broke Halep’s serve in the first game then the third to take the first set.
However, she lost the second set in only 24 minutes without taking a single game off Halep.
She recovered in the third set going up 5-1 and closed the match after Halep came back to make it 5-4, bursting into tears after winning.
After shaking hands with her opponent and the umpire, she formed a heart shape with her hands around the Ukraine ribbon she pinned to her shirt.
“I’m very, very, very nervous but I tried to do my best,” she said in her on-court interview.
“For Ukraine, for my family… I want to say, thank you all.”
