Germany's Eva Lys has revealed she "had no expectations" entering her first-round match against local favourite Kimberly Birrell after capitalising on a last-minute withdrawal.
Lys, 23, was bundled out of the final round of Australian Open qualifying last week against Aussie Destanee Aiava in three sets.
Click here to watch live tennis on Stan Sport.
Seeded 23rd in qualifying, the German hung around Melbourne in the unlikely case of a late withdrawal.
That is exactly what transpired, as No.13 seed Anna Kalinskaya pulled out of the tournament in the late hours of Tuesday morning for unknown reasons, handing Lys a 'Lucky Loser' opportunity to face Birrell on KIA Arena.
And, Lys grasped it with both hands, progressing to the next round thanks to an impressive 6-2 6-2 victory.
After taking the time to soak in the moment, Lys shared what exactly occurred to keep her Australian Open dream alive.
"I actually had my flight back booked for tomorrow morning," she said after the match.
"I didn't really prepare my drinks, I didn't have match clothes on. I went to the locker room, got changed straight away, and then they called my name.
"So no warm-up, no anything. Maybe that's the key for [the] next match."
Lys is an example of how important it is to dig deep and stay the course, no matter how unlikely a call-up may be.
"If you are a lucky loser, you don't expect much. Your tournament is kind of over," she added.
"But a lot of people gave me hope that there was a possibility for me to get in. That's why I was here the whole day, from 9am until 11pm, because you never know if someone is going to pull out.
"I went out and had no expectations. I was definitely the lucky one."
In Birrell's post-match press conference, the qualifier admitted that the unexpected opponent change threw her off.
"Yeah, absolutely [it did]. I had prepared to play Anna. She's a really amazing player. I knew that I was in for a battle against her, and I had done my research and spoke a lot with my team. Unfortunately, that isn't who I faced today," she said.
Up next for Lys is a meeting against another unseeded player, Varvara Gracheva.
Your Ultimate Tennis Destination! 🎾
Tennis Direct Australia is more than just a store - Australia’s #1 online tennis retailer, bringing you world-class brands, unbeatable value, and exceptional customer service to support your love for the game.
👉 Shop now at www.tennisdirect.com.au with a 15% storewide discount code: SERVE15, Valid until 31/12/2025 excludes clearance items, machines, court equipment and gift cards.
Comments