Tennis – Australian Open 2025 – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 20, 2025 Germany’s Eva Lys reacts during her fourth round match against Poland’s Iga Swiatek. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
MELBOURNE–Lucky loser Eva Lys felt like she had been hit by a train after a heavy defeat by world number two Iga Swiatek in the Australian Open 2025 fourth round on Monday but the German said she had enjoyed the journey in the best week of her life.
Swiatek thrashed Lys 6-0 6-1 to end the fairytale run of the world number 128, who replaced the unwell Anna Kalinskaya in the main draw following a loss in the third round of the qualifying tournament for the year’s first Grand Slam.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Australian Open 2025: Iga Swiatek crushes Eva Lys to reach quarters
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“This is the week I’ve been working for, for ages. I was always waiting for that moment. I’ve had a lot of nights where I was actually talking to my parents, often with tears, asking, When will the time come?”
Article continues after this advertisementTennis – Australian Open 2025 – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 20, 2025 Poland’s Iga Swiatek shakes hands with Germany’s Eva Lys after winning her fourth round match REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
Lys had every reason to be delighted after she became the first lucky loser to reach the last 16 since the Australian Open relocated to Melbourne Park in 1988, with her progress forcing her to change her flight out of Australia several times.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Kyiv-born player, who for the last few years has been managing a rheumatic autoimmune disease called spondylarthritis that causes inflammation in her spine and joints, said her run at Melbourne Park had given her the belief she needed.
daisy slots Article continues after this advertisement“Everything just came down to this week, where on one side it’s definitely the tennis I played, but also it was the luck in the beginning,” Lys said.
“It was just the momentum that made it so special.”
This was after a lawmaker called for better deployment of renewables in the market.
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