Only Roland Garros towel left, says Ukraine tennis player after Russian strike hits flat

What the report says

Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska said her family’s apartment in Odesa was destroyed in a Russian missile strike, with only a Roland Garros towel left intact. In posts on social media, the 26-year-old described the damage as a direct hit and shared images showing a burned-out residential building. BBC World News reported that she linked the incident to a Kalibr cruise missile fired by Russia, though that detail came from her own post.

The attack took place in the Black Sea port city of Odesa and nearby Chornomorsk, following a night of missile and drone strikes. According to Odesa regional head Oleh Kiper, 37 people were injured, including a baby, and two people were missing. The BBC said the strike hit civilian housing, underscoring the continuing risk to residents in Ukraine’s southern cities during the war.

Yastremska, who reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2024 and is currently outside the top 100 in the women’s rankings, also addressed the WTA and ITF in her messages, asking tennis authorities to look at the destruction through the eyes of those affected. The BBC noted that other Ukrainian athletes have also seen homes damaged in the conflict since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.