Imagine this: you’ve doubted yourself, booked a flight home, convinced that your journey in an event that means the world to you has come to an end. But then, destiny steps in, rewrites your script, and gives you not just one more shot, but multiple chances to prove yourself. Sounds like the plot of a feel-good movie, doesn’t it? Well, this is no fiction—this is the incredible reality of Eva Lys, the Australian Open’s ‘Lucky Loser’, who is living a dream she never saw coming.

After losing in the third qualifying round of the ongoing Grand Slam in Melbourne, Lys had her flights booked for home. But right then, Anna Kalinskaya decided to withdraw from the tournament and the German star got a call to the main draw. And boy, did she grab the opportunity with both hands! Lys defeated Kimberly Birrell in straight sets in the first round and continued her marvelous run by outshining Varvara Gracheva and Jaqueline Cristian in the subsequent rounds. But this run cost the rising star a good amount of money as well since she had to change her flight dates multiple times. 

Speaking about the same, Lys shared that she had her flight booked already after losing the qualifiers and she did not know what to do with her time. “It’s definitely an insane story also for me, like how it happened, how fast it happened and it’s been just a couple of days. Those days have totally changed my life. I don’t know feeling a little bit empty right now cuz it’s just a lot happening.” She shared. But guess what, even after getting a spot in the main draw, Lys anticipated her campaign to end soon and booked her flight tickets again for Sunday, January 19th, just a day after her third round. 

Detailing the anecdote after defeating Cristian on Saturday, she shared, “We actually changed the flight date to tomorrow (laughs). And right now I think after the press conference we’re going to go and try to change it a little bit further. But it’s actually really funny. We just picked a date and we’re like, okay, Sunday is six days away, you know, so we’re just going to pick Sunday. So yeah, it’s actually pretty funny. I’m glad we have to change it now.” Hence, the star player had to change her flight dates twice, excluding the original booking. Coming to her ongoing campaign, the 2025 Australian Open is definitely a special one for her. 

For the unversed, Lys has etched her name in tennis history by becoming the first women’s singles Lucky Loser to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open in the Open Era. Remember, she has witnessed quite a lot of struggles owing to her rheumatic autoimmune disease, a type of arthritis that attacks the spine and, in some cases, also the joints of the arms and legs. While the challenges still persist for her, the Ukrainian-born player who represented Germany ever since her childhood has made giant strides, and hence, her happiness is evident. 

Meanwhile, she is now gearing up to face Polish dynamo Iga Swiatek in the fourth round. But guess what? The expectations from her are only increasing.

Tennis veteran dishes out advice for Eva Lys that can help her outshine Iga Swiatek

Eva Lys’s remarkable skills have helped her gain immense praise from all across the tennis community. And now, even when she is gearing up to face 5-time Grand Slam champion and Former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, many are hoping for her to pull out the biggest upset of the season. The latest to share her take? Slovakian star Daniela Hantuchova.

Speaking about Lys in an interaction with Stan Sport’s Grand Slam Daily, Hantuchova said, “The good hope for Eva is that they’re playing at night, so the conditions will be a little bit slower.” Continuing further, she shared how Lys can outshine her mighty opponent. “She has to make sure she will be there from the first point of the match because Iga is the best front-runner. I mean, when she gets one break (of serve), the set is almost over. So Eva, incredible story, but I just want her to continue that nice momentum and it is so, so important how she starts the match.”

While the eventual outcome of the match will come to light in a couple of hours from now, Lys’ story is one for the ages. It’s a tale of resilience, grit, and a dash of destiny for the star player. So, what’s next for Eva Lys? Only time will tell.