Ukrainian Skliar's US Open bid fuelled by thoughts of home
Sometimes it is easy to focus on results and forget the backstory of players, but in the case of Polina Skliar – and many others from Ukraine – that remains incredibly foolish and shortsighted.
Firstly, however, the here and now. Skliar, who is only 15 years old, has surged into the third round at the US Open Junior Championships following a straight sets, 6-3 6-2, victory over home favourite Isha Manchala.
She will now face another American, Janae Preston, for a place in the quarter-finals as she bids to maintain her scintillating Junior Grand Slam form which saw her reach the girls’ semi-finals at Wimbledon in July.
This is a very decent output for any player, let alone someone so young. And it comes during a season in which two junior titles having been lifted and further experience within the professional ranks – on the World Tennis Tour – has been gained.
But, as you can probably imagine, life has not been straightforward for the teenager in recent years. Skliar was forced to flee her Odessa home shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. She has not returned since.
“Literally two days after the war started, we left,” said Skliar, who has risen to No. 10 in the World Tennis Tour girls’ rankings. “I was 10 and I was frustrated and also scared when we heard the bombs. I haven’t been back since, not at all.
“I mean, every day there is something different. It feels that way anyway and, especially when you're not there, it's very hard. You don't know yourself what's happening and it makes you worry because you're not there.
“I don’t believe our house has been damaged, but the ones around it have. We’re just hoping for the best, what else can we do?".
Following the outbreak of war, Skliar and her family sought sanctuary and headed for Germany. But while safe there, the effects of being displaced had a lasting impact.
View this post on Instagram
“My brother, Nikita, was a professional footballer in Germany at the time the war started, so we headed to him and then we tried to find our life there,” added Skliar, who proudly represented Ukraine at the 2024 World Tennis 14&U Junior Team Finals.
“Actually, this is a big topic for me. I was really frustrated and I cried so much. There were two years when I came to Germany that I didn’t want to play tennis.
“I was in a new country, in a new environment with a new language. It was very hard for me, and I just tried to somehow adapt. I was honestly feeling all by myself.
“In the beginning, we were just travelling all over Germany to find a place and make a base to practice. After a couple of years, we found a base and stayed – I don’t remember where it was. I stayed there for two years and since last year I have been in Wiesbaden.
“Honestly, there were times when I was playing tennis that it didn’t feel like tennis. But I played because I felt that some day I could be a great player – and also because my family were doing everything for me and my tennis career.”
Sporting success, right across the sporting landscape and particularly on a global stage, continues to be a beacon of hope for Ukraine.
Players from Ukraine and others from further afield have spoken so eloquently on the issue, with Skliar the latest. Hers is a powerful story and one that needs and deserves to be told.
“Our people have been so brave,” she said. “A lot of people don’t understand because they don’t live under this and how much pressure it creates. But we also get energy from it, so we can show the world how it is. That energy is amazing.
“I just hope one day it will end. I don’t know when it is going to end, but I hope it will end and I will be able to go back again – and maybe start my life over there again.”
While the past few years have been unimaginably difficult, the hardships of those times are clearly fuelling the next stages of Skliar's life and career.
To boost her ongoing development, Skliar received two Grand Slam Player Grants, $25,000 in 2025 and the same amount earlier this year.
The grants are funded by the Grand Slam Player Development Programme through the four Grand Slams, but it is World Tennis modelling that determines the players selected.
Skliar clearly has a strong story to tell, but hopefully on-court narrative is only just beginning and has many chapters still to be written.
A full list of results from the 2026 US Open Junior Championships can be found here.