Eva Lys speechless after capitalizing on second chance at Australian Open

Eva Lys, aged 23, had her bags packed and her flight arranged. However, she has now advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time, having seized her opportunity at the Australian Open.

The "lucky loser" triumphed over France's Varvara Gracheva with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 on Thursday in the second round, collapsing onto her back in celebration after securing her victory.

"I am at a loss for words to describe this moment," stated Lys, who is currently ranked 128th in the world.

The past few days have been a whirlwind for Lys, who was born in Ukraine.

Last week, she was eliminated in the final round of qualifying in Melbourne, seemingly ending her hopes of participating in the first major tournament of the year.

Nevertheless, she remained hopeful that another player might withdraw, and her chance came when 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya withdrew on Tuesday, granting Lys another opportunity in the Australian Open.

She subsequently defeated Australian player Kimberly Birrell in straight sets in the first round of the main draw.

"I learned about my match just 10 minutes prior, so I didn’t have time to feel nervous," remarked Lys, who experienced a first-round exit at the Australian Open two years ago.

A "lucky loser" refers to a player who, after losing in qualifying, gains entry into the main draw due to another player's withdrawal, typically caused by illness or injury.

"I was a bit anxious because I hadn’t prepared my drinks," said Lys, who moved from Kyiv to Germany with her family at the age of two.

"I wasn’t even dressed for the match, so I rushed to the locker room to change, and then they called my name."

"There was no warm-up or anything. Perhaps that’s the secret for my next match."

Lys is set to compete against Romania's Jaqueline Cristian, who is ranked 82nd, in the third round.