It was just apt that Dorsa Yavarivafa’s pre-match music was a Persian motivational song titled ‘Never Give Up’.

Moments after she turned the volume down, a lifelong dream came true for the 20-year-old, when she stepped out at Porte de la Chapelle Arena – the refugee athlete was now an Olympian.

“It was amazing. Everyone was so supportive and it was just fantastic to be out there. Absolutely loved it,” gushed the Refugee Olympic Team athlete after spending 22 minutes on court in the 21-7 21-8 Group I defeat to world No.20 Singaporean Yeo Jia Min.

“Before going on court, my coach told me to be calm but we didn’t have a long chat. The message was to enjoy the experience and that’s all I did. I’m just going to train more tomorrow and prepare for my next match (against Mauritian Kate Foo Kune).”

The passage to Paris 2024 was of tumult – Yavarivafa fled her birth country of Iran at 14 and ended up in a prison cell while on the move from one country to another.

“It’s been a long journey. I had my ups and downs, but since coming to England I’ve prepared myself for this big event. I never gave up (chasing my dream) and it’s an honour to represent more than 100 million refugees.”

Asked which parts of her game she was most satisfied with, Yavarivafa said: “The long rallies were good, and I did make some incredible shots. I need to play longer rallies and that’s what I’m hoping for in my next match.”

Rooting for Yavarivafa from the stands were her parents.

“It took them two hours on the train from London but they are happy to be here. I couldn’t see them but I’m happy they saw me,” said Yavarivafa.

Despite the straightforward win, Yeo said she felt inspired by Yavarivafa’s story.

“I respect her for not giving up on her dreams. Coming to Olympics must be massive for her. She made it on determination, that’s something we can all look up to,” said the 25-year-old.

Morning Session Highlights

• Tokyo men’s doubles bronze medallists Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik survived a scare, dropping a game to Ben Lane/Sean Vendy before coming back to win the longest match of the session (72 minutes) 19-21 21-16 21-11.
• Their compatriots Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan pushed top women’s doubles seeds Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan but eventually fell 21-17 22-20.
• Men’s singles frontrunners Shi Yu Qi and Kunlavut Vitidsarn won in straight games under 37 minutes.

→ Results