Eva Lys struggled to hold back the tears after reaching her first-ever WTA 1000 quarter-final. The German has battled through four rounds of action to reach this stage of the tournament, with a third-round win over Elena Rybakina the pick of the bunch.
Other fallen opponents include Zhang Ruien, Iva Jovic and most recently in the round of 16, McCartney Kessler. Her reward for reaching the last eight of the tournament is a clash against reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff, which is set to take place on Thursday.
It’s been a remarkable week for the 23-year-old, who had her first win over a top 10 opponent, and as a result of her exploits in China, will move inside the top 50 of the WTA rankings. Unsurprisingly, Lys struggled to contain her emotions when put in front of a microphone following the Kessler victory.
She said on court: “I’m trying to hold back my tears. It was so fun playing in front of you guys.. I didn’t expect to have a lot of fans in China. I really appreciate that. I’ve had some really tough matches, I don’t know where I found the strength, but I just kept going. It means so much to be in my first [WTA 1000] quarter-final.”
It’s been a breakout year for Lys, who earlier in 2025 reached the fourth round at the Australian Open as a lucky loser entrant, sparking a reaction that went viral after discovering how much prize money she’d won. Three consecutive second-round runs at the next three Grand Slams followed, with Lys’ only other appearance at a major having come all the way back in the 2023 US Open.
What’s more, she also boasts the tag as German No.1 – something Lys has admitted has taken time to get used to. Speaking earlier this year, the tennis ace said: “Now, hearing that I’m the No. 1 is such a weird feeling. I remember as a kid I was watching Laura [Siegemund] and Tatjana [Maria] play when I was still a junior. I couldn’t even play WTA tournaments. It felt like it was so far away.
“I’m definitely adjusting to my No. 1 position, figuring out how to behave, what to do. But, I’m going to be honest, I don’t feel a difference to last time. Even though last time I wasn’t No. 1, we were all very equal to each other, and I think that’s the reason why we’re strong as a team.”
