Eva Lys' Australian Open Adventure Continues with Fourth-Round Berth

Eva Lys, a 'lucky loser' from Germany, has seen her life transformed after reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open, where she will face second seed Iga Swiatek.

Eva Lys, a 23-year-old German tennis player, has seen her life take a dramatic turn due to a fortunate series of events at the Australian Open. Had Anna Kalinskaya not withdrawn at the last minute, Lys would likely have been eliminated from the tournament after losing in the third round of qualifying. However, as a “lucky loser,” Lys has capitalized on the opportunity and is now set to face second seed Iga Swiatek in the fourth round.

Lys' remarkable run continued on Saturday as she secured a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Romania's Jaqueline Cristian. The German player was overjoyed with her progress, stating, “Obviously I'm very, very happy to be making it to second week. I feel like second week was always such a dream for me.” Lys' fairytale run has not only exceeded her expectations but has also transformed her life in ways she never thought possible.

Eva Lys, a 23-year-old German tennis player born in Kyiv, is set to face second seed Iga Swiatek in the fourth round of the Australian Open. Although Lys lost her only previous encounter with Swiatek at Stuttgart three years ago, she feels that their rematch on the grandest stage was meant to be. The surreal nature of her situation has not fully sunk in, as Lys admitted, “I don't know when the realisation will kick in.”

Lys' journey to the fourth round has been nothing short of remarkable. As a “lucky loser,” she was granted entry into the main draw after another player's withdrawal. Reflecting on the rapid turn of events, Lys said, “It's definitely an amazing situation to be in, especially knowing that I was lucky loser.” She also shared a humorous anecdote about her initial plans after losing in the qualifying rounds. “I think I found a picture of me sleeping the day I got in. I was just trying to spend the time at the venue, trying to do something because I didn't really know what to do with my time. I was just preparing for my flight the next day.”

Eva Lys - the first women's singles lucky loser to reach the fourth round at #AusOpen since the event moved to Melbourne Park in 1988 🤯

The dream continues for the German, winning 4-6 6-3 6-3 😍 #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/RZ2BAFoKDj

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2025

The past few days have been a whirlwind for Lys, and her life has changed dramatically. She acknowledged, “It's an insane story, how fast it happened. It's been a couple of days. Those days have totally changed my life. So I'm definitely really thankful.” As a result of her prolonged stay in Australia, Lys will need to adjust her travel plans once again. After initially rescheduling her flight to Sunday, she will now have to push it back further. Lys joked, “Right now I think after the press conference we're going to go and try to change it a little bit further... We just picked a date. We're like, 'Okay, Sunday's six days away. We're just going to pick Sunday'. I'm glad we have to change it now.”