Lys will be the first lucky loser to get Melbourne to the round of 16

Germany’s Eva Lys has become the first lucky loser to reach the last 16 at the Australian Open in the Open Era after defeating Jaqueline Cristian 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in 2 hours and 25 minutes.

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World no. 128 fell in the final round of qualifying to Destanee Aiava, but was one of the four highest ranked losers in that round. The four players entered the pool from which lucky losers would be drawn, and Lys was drawn in third place.

She chose to delay her flight home and remain on site in case a seat opened up. Ahead of her, Petra Martic had received the first lucky loser spot on the day qualifying ended and Harriet Dart received the second on Monday. On Tuesday, seed no. 13 Anna Kalinskaya back; Lys, who heard the news while lying on the physio table, had just 10 minutes to prepare for her first-round match. She promptly dismissed Kimberly Birrell 6-2, 6-2.

Four days later, Lys finds herself in the second week of a major for the first time, having never previously advanced beyond the second round, and with a guaranteed Top 100 debut after the tournament. She is just the sixth lucky loser to reach the last 16 of a Grand Slam in the Open Era, following Hana Strachonova (Roland Garros 1980), Dana Gilbert (Roland Garros 1982), Nicole Muns-Jagerman (Roland Garros 1988), María José Gaidano (US Open 1993) and Elina Avanesyan (Roland Garros 2023). Strachonova’s run took her to the third round in a tie with 64 players; the others all made the fourth round.

“It’s definitely a crazy story how fast it happened,” Lys said after defeating Cristian. “It’s only been a few days. Those days have totally changed my life… I feel like my lucky loser position is definitely helping me. Sometimes you just need a second chance.”

The breakthrough is a long-awaited one for Lys. She has finished the past three seasons in the Top 130, but despite her obvious ball-striking ability, she was unable to get her ranking above no. 105 – partly due to overthinking it.

“I always struggled, the closer I got to the Top 100, the closer I got to the big tournaments,” Lys said. “At the end of the day, I know I have the level, but I’ve always put too much pressure on myself. I always knew what was at stake. I’ve always wanted it so badly. That’s also why I could never actually go out and win.

“My first AO experience, I made it through qualities. I played (Cristina) Bucsa first round. I played so well first set. Second set, I had that realization where I knew how many points I wanted to make, I knew , what my ranking What do you think I lost the second set 6-0 Sometimes my head is just way longer than my physical self.

Lys’ physical self has also been something she has struggled with. She has been hampered by spondyloarthritis, an immune disease that she was diagnosed with in 2020 and made public last March. It has affected her ability to train, plan and sometimes execute matches over the years.

“I was unhappy that I couldn’t do as much or be as intense (as other players),” Lys said at Wimbledon last year. “One thing I learned is not to look at other players. If I hit a wall, I have to listen to my body and the most important thing for me is recovery.”

After winning three straight sets, Lys feels she has it under control so far.

“I had two great matches,” she said. “In the third set, I was there. In the third set, I played my best tennis. So I’m definitely very happy with how we managed to get my body into a more stable environment. … At the end of the day, it’s always just a part of my life, I always have to take care of my body.

Lys’ next test will be one of the most challenging of this era on the Hologic WTA Tour: the formidable world no. 2 Iga Swiatek, who has only lost three matches in his last two matches. It’s a bit of a recurring memory for Lys, who first played Swiatek in the second round of Stuttgart 2022 on her WTA main draw debut.

“Even then I had great rallies with her,” Lys recalled. “I lost 1 and 1. She had a streak going so she played really, really intense… Definitely really excited to play her. She’s a great player. I definitely look forward to matches like this. This is why , that I play tennis.

“I also think I won’t be underestimated in Round 4. I can see I have chances. I just want to try to play my best tennis. I definitely think she has to work a little harder to get that win. “

First, however, Lys has a plane that needs to be rescheduled – again. Last week she had moved it to Sunday on the grounds that six days would be far enough away. Instead, she will prepare to fight for a place in the quarter-finals.

“It’s actually pretty funny,” Lys said. “I’m glad we have to change it now!”