Dayana Yastremska has not having fun from a professional point of view in the last year. The Ukrainian sensation had a rather disappointing 2020 that prompted her also to fire her coach Sascha Bajin after the US Open. Dayana was ready to bounce back in 2021. However, the last few months of 2020 were horrible as she was both infected by the Coronavirus to test positive for doping.

Dayana was suspended from tennis since January the 7th, but she has always been rather straight and vocal about being the victim of sample contamination.

The Australian Open

Therefore, Dayana decided to still fly to Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open as she was sure to be cleared before the beginning of the slam. Unfortunately, Dayana lost the appeal with the ITF and she has now lodged a second appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The decision of the appeal will be taken by the 3rd of February to give the opportunity to the 19-year-old to play the Australian Open in case of a favorable outcome. The Australian Open will commence on the 8th of February.

Yastremska is also part of the entry list of the upcoming WTA500 in Adelaide that will be staged after the Australian Open. However, she is not part of the entry list of the WTA1000 in Dubai.

The Appeal

Here the text of her latest appeal.

“Lausanne, 26 January 2021 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered the appeal filed by Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska against the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in relation to the decision taken by the ITF Independent Tribunal on 22 January 2021 (the Challenged Decision), which rejected the application made by Dayana Yastremska to lift her provisional suspension.

In her appeal to CAS, Ms Yastremska seeks to have the Challenged Decision set aside and her provisional suspension lilted in order to be able to participate in the 2021 Australian Open

tennis tournament.

The CAS arbitration has commenced and the parties have agreed to an expedited procedure in order to enable a sole arbitrator to issue a final decision by 3 February 2021.
A urine sample provided by Ms Yastremska on 24 November 2020 was found to contain a metabolite of mesterolone, a banned substance on the WADA Prohibited List. Following the analysis of the B Sample, which confirmed the finding for the A Sample.

Ms Yastremska was provisionally suspended by the ITF with effect as from 7 January 2021.

On 16 January 2021, Ms Yastremska applied to lift the provisional suspension but the Chair of the ITF Independent Tribunal rejected the application and maintained the provisional suspension. The grounds for the Challenged Decision were notified to Ms Yastremska on 24 January 2021.”

 

 

Dayana Yastremska in 2021

Now the world no.29, Dayana played her last match on the 9th of November 2020 when she capitulated to Greetje Minnen 6-4 6-3 in the 1st round in Linz (draw).

This season the Ukrainian has a composed 0-0 match record.