“Never heard of it in my life”
German tennis ace surprised by prize money
01/20/2025 – 4:42 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
At the Australian Open, Eva Lys made it to the round of 16. The German tennis ace failed to win against Iga Świątek – but she was surprised by her winnings.
Eva Lys wrote a German tennis fairytale at the Australian Open. After her failed qualification, she was actually almost on the plane back to Germany, but then made it into the main field via the “Lucky Loser”. However, in the round of 16 it was over against Iga Świątek. They won 6:0 and 6:1. Following her defeat, Lys was interviewed – and then pleasantly surprised.
The German, who had never made it this far in a Grand Slam tournament before, learned from a presenter that she had won 420,000 Australian dollars (the equivalent of around 252,000 euros) by reaching the round of 16. Lys couldn’t believe the amount, her mouth fell open and she turned around in disbelief.
The host and interviewer asked her, “Didn’t you know?” Lys replied down-to-earth that she had never gotten this far before and added: “That’s crazy. That’s a number I’ve never heard before in my life.”
On Instagram on Monday afternoon, Lys also summarized her past days: “Crazy week. Crazy story. Crazy support. This is a love letter to every single person who was by my side throughout the whole experience. Thank you to every fan who gave me the Fingers crossed you made this week unforgettable.”
Eva Lys is currently ranked 128th in the world. By reaching the round of 16, she could now slip into the top 100. The German tennis star Alexander Zverev, who is in the quarterfinals, says that Lys has written “an incredible story”.