Joy at Eva Lys. The German is a late addition to the Australian Open and even manages to win her first match.
Suddenly, everything happened very quickly. Eva Lys had just learned that she was allowed to participate in the Australian Open as a “lucky loser”, when she was allowed to participate after all, and then she was already on the court – and winning. After a flawless game, the 23-year-old German defeated local matador Kimberly Birrell 6-2, 6-2 in just 70 minutes.
Lys had originally failed in the last round of qualifying. However, because Anna Kalinskaja also withdrew at short notice, Lys was still able to make it into the main draw after all. “The best thing that happened to me was that I didn’t have to prepare at all. I actually got the call from the supervisor ten minutes before the match that I was now allowed on the court,” she explained on Eurosport.
Lys receives message 10 minutes before match
She added: “I only just managed to change. No warm-up, no nothing, so my arm was relatively relaxed.” Even the return flights to Germany had all been booked. Now she has to change all her plans.
Since Kalinskaja had previously been seeded in position 13, the 128th-ranked player in the world also got a good draw – in the second round on Thursday, another unseeded player is waiting for Lys.
Against Birrell, who had originally prepared for a match as a clear underdog, the talented Hamburg native played carefree from the start. In the Kia Arena, one of the larger courts at the Melbourne complex, she impressed with aggressive play and was ultimately able to celebrate. It was only the second time since the US Open 2023 that Lys overcame the opening hurdle at a Grand Slam.
