Illness strikes again
Out at the French Open: tears for the German tennis player
May 27, 2026 – 10:54 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Eva Lys leads 3-1 in the second round match at the French Open, then her body fails. She reacts emotionally.
The German tennis player Eva Lys explained her second-round defeat at the French Open with tears in her eyes. The 24-year-old lost against the Romanian Sorana Cirstea 3:6, 0:6 – and blamed her rheumatic autoimmune disease for this.
With temperatures over 30 degrees in Paris, Lys initially led 3-1. When the score was 3-2, she sprinted to a short ball in the back – after that she didn’t win any more games. At the press conference, Lys explained: “In the first set at 3-2, I ran to a short ball – and it really hit me. Unfortunately, I was at my limit today.”
She didn’t want her illness to be seen as an excuse. Lys said: “I keep having back problems due to my rheumatism, which I’ve been carrying around a bit for the last few weeks. And there are days when it just doesn’t work.” But she doesn’t want to see the illness as an excuse, “and without sounding angry: I don’t need any pity.” Missing the third round still hurts her. “It just sucks, especially at big tournaments.”
Tamara Korpatsch is the only remaining German singles player in the tournament. The 31-year-old defeated China’s Wang Xinyu 6:2, 2:6, 6:3. In the third round she will face seventh-seeded Ukrainian Jelina Switolina.
