‘I have a pretty good confidence in my game’ - Yastremska battles past Peng into Tianjin quarterfinals
TIANJIN, China - No.3 seed Dayana Yastremska
“I have now a pretty good confidence in my game,” Yastremska told press after the match. “I’m not really thinking yet about winning the trophy here, but I’m trying to think about every match playing great. I think if I do that, I will get a trophy here.
“Definitely, of course, I want to win. But I’m trying not to really think about it.”
Read more: 'It was really hard to play': Dayana Yastremska
Indeed, the on-the-rise Ukranian teenager's confidence has grown in Asia, and she came into Tianjin on a tear, having sealed her runner-up finish in doubles at the China Open in Beijing alongside Jelena Ostapenko
She continued her momentum in China as she took on Peng, a local favorite who lifted the trophy here in 2016. After a dominant start in the first set, she found herself battling in the second, but Yastremska comfortably completed the victory, 6-2, 7-5 in an hour and 11 minutes.
Yastremska was dialed in from the start against Peng, who lifted the trophy here in 2016. Yastremska fired a whopping 32 winners to Peng’s six, and fired six aces. As a result, the Ukrainian was broken only once from eight opportunities, and Yastremska in turn broke Peng four times on her way to victory.
After the match, Yastremska revealed that she had struggled during the match after having a sleepless night the day before, and having trouble adapting to Tianjin’s chilly weather.
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“I think I had today not really a good night,” Yastremska admitted. “I didn’t really sleep well, I woke up a couple of times. But I tried to prepare myself as good as possible.
“During the match, I felt a little bit tired, and this weather is kind of weird. So, I felt a little bit sleepy, but I still tried to get myself moving and staying intense. I think, well, you’re not always playing great, so it’s okay.”
Into her fifth quarterfinal of the year, Yastremska now awaits the winner between Veronika Kudermetova
