There’s nothing quite like an underdog story.

Despite the respect and admiration garnered by the all-time greats of the sporting world and for the remarkable, and often record-breaking statistics they rack-up in terms of victories recorded and trophies won, they never elicit quite the same heartwarming feeling of someone upsetting the odds.

Tennis has produced more than its fair share of underdog stories and this week, yet another materialised.

At the first grand slam of the season, Dayana Yastremska made a thrilling run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

Even many of the most extreme tennis nerds knew little, if anything, about Yastremska prior to her breakthrough in Melbourne.

The 23-year-old is currently ranked 93 in the world but, despite a testing draw, swept into the last four of the women’s singles, ultimately losing out to China’s Qinweng Zheng for a place in the final.

Yastremska’s surge caught the eye not only for the calibre of players she was forced to defeat on her way to the final four – having come through qualifying, all five of her main draw opponents were ranked inside the world’s top 50 – but also for the quite remarkable challenges she’s been forced to endure over the past two years.

Against the odds, Dayana Yastremska reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open

Yastremska is Ukrainian and in February 2022, was forced to leave her home with her sister after Russia’s........

© Herald Scotland