SAN DIEGO — In the unsettling darkness, Russian attack drones flew past the 12th floor window of the home of Dayana Yastremska. The family scrambled, dogs in tow, to an underground parking garage.

Odesa, a vibrant port nestled alongside the Black Sea in southwest Ukraine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its contributions to cinema, literature and the arts, had been thrust into the hellish fire of war.

Upon reaching the garage, the world quaked.

"After just one minute, something exploded," Yastremska said of the terrifying night in February 2022. "It seemed pretty close. I was sitting on a chair and go, 'Oh, (crap).' It was crazy. I don't wish anybody to experience that."

Yastremska is the 33rd-ranked player in the world, according to the Women's Tennis Association. She's also a mature-beyond-years 23, balancing life as an elite athlete with the jumbled emotions of her home being locked in deadly conflict.

The Cymbiotika San Diego Open at the Barnes Tennis Center provides another chance at connection, another chance to tell her story, a platform to ensure the war, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday has claimed roughly 31,000 soldiers according to the New York Times, does not become a global afterthought.

Yastremska, ranked No. 33 in the world, beat American Caroline Dolehide 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 on Tuesday at the Barnes Tennis Center.

Yastremska sometimes creates a heart with her hands after wins as a subtle yet meaningful connection. She writes messages to her country — "Glory to Ukraine" at the Australian Open — with those camera lens pens used in tennis.

After a runner up finish at the Lyon Open in March 2022, she donated her purse of nearly $16,000 to the Ukrainian Foundation. She collaborated with a Latvian rapper and Czech singer to release the single "Hearts" this month as a tribute to the strength of the children living in peril daily.

"I don't know if I'm inspiring the people," said Yastremska, parroting the question. "But for sure, I'm trying to bring my best on the court to show in my own way that I also try to fight. I also try to talk a lot about it.

"I think you need to ask people if I'm inspiring them, but the (soldiers) that are protecting us and fighting for us, I think they are inspiring people more than the athletes."

The video for the song shows a young boy and girl holding hands on a bombed out Ukrainian street with fire forming a flaming heart.

The heart seems to be on fire,

Tell my why the world's not fair,

We burn all fears,

Seems like we going nowhere

The song meanders through complicated feelings of fear, grief, pain and bravery. At the end, there is the sound of jets flying by and small-arms fire ringing out.

The creative release also offers hope.

And like a train to the stars,

Your dreamy soul will soar,

Don't be afraid to take the first step,

Life ahead is happy

"My lyrics were mostly about the children," Yastremska explained. "It's not their fault what is going on. But at the same time, it's about the maturity they have.

"It's difficult to explain and to express exactly how it feels, because when you experience that, you feel it. If you didn't experience that, even if you're listening to the song, you won't really understand it."

Amid the weight of it all, Yastremska has regained her winning stroke. The three-time WTA winner roared to the Australian Open semifinals in January for her deepest run in a Grand Slam event.

Yastremska was ranked as high as No. 21 in January 2020 but backslid, finishing just outside the top 100 in 2022 and '23. She has climbed to as high as No. 26 this year.

"I'm actually very proud of myself, because the previous three years has been tough on me," she said. "It's been really tough. I couldn't even get top-70. I just completely took out the pressure. Before that I was putting the pressure on myself too much, about everything.

"Just before the Australian Open I was, 'OK, no more pressure.' I just want feel happy on the court and enjoy (it)."

The court sometimes can be a complicated place, however.

Yastremska shared her knotted emotions when facing opponents from Russia or Belarus, which has supported the invasion.

"Of course it's difficult to play against them," she said. "They are athletes. They are people. You try to separate, you know? But at the same time, you realize deep inside you that you're playing someone from the country that is attacking your country, that is killing the children, killing people in our country.

"It's difficult to separate the athlete and the person from the country that is putting a difficult time on our country and our people."

Memories of that jarring night in Odesa will remain vivid. Tennis has given Yastremska a paycheck but also, more importantly, a voice.

A powerful one at that.

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