Eva Lys: Making her own luck

The 23-year-old broke into the top 100 for the first time as a result of her efforts in Melbourne and has been building up milestones in the weeks since, including her first WTA 1000 match wins and a career-high ranking of No.59. On Day 1 of Roland-Garros, she picked up her first main-draw win in Paris with an emphatic 6-0, 6-3 thumping of 28th-seeded American Peyton Stearns, who had upset names including Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina on the way to the semi-finals in Rome this spring.

“I haven't had many main draw Grand Slam wins yet. So definitely having the first one here in Paris feels very special to me,” she said afterwards. “I've just been really trying to get the wins, especially against these good players. I've had some tough draws the past tournaments and couldn't really make it, so I’m definitely having an insanely happy feeling after [this] win.”

Though tennis is something of a family affair for the 23-year-old – her father is a former Davis Cup player for Ukraine and her sister a former pro – Lys’ recent successes on the court have come around thanks to her own hard work, and overcoming adversity in many forms. Born in Kyiv, Lys moved to Germany at age two; her family in Ukraine is always top of mind these days as war continues to impact the country.

She is also excelling as a professional athlete in spite of managing an illness called spondyloarthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes stiffness and pain in joints near the spine and in the lower limbs. She revealed this condition publicly last year, confessing to reporters after beating Stearns that she’s a natural sharer on social media platforms. She used the moment to ask fans and followers for grace as she navigates the physical unknowns that may manifest on the tennis court, including “last-minute changes and adjustments to her tournament schedule.”

“Throughout my athletic career, I have often been told from the outside that I am too weak,” she wrote. “But the more I heard it, the stronger it made me.”

And as Lys explained after defeating Stearns, she is feeling her best these days – and the results are showing it.

“The diagnosis came in 2020. We're in 2025. I would say this is the first year that I actually can say that I know how to deal with it, know how to deal with the practices I have, how hard I can push, when is the time to really just relax,” she said, crediting a doctor she’s had since age 10 with helping her career continue.

“In the last weeks, I'm not going to lie, I've had just days where my body was not doing what it's supposed to,” she added. “Even like preparing here, maybe one or two practices less, because it's something I have to do. But I know that if I give my body time, it recovers. The next day I'm stronger than ever. I just need to find the right balance with regeneration and the practice process.”

“I think the doctors told me this is not going to keep me from being No.1, if treated right,” she said.

While she’s not at that lofty perch quite yet, Lys admits she’s “come a long way” even in the last year. Her next challenge to overcome is talented Canadian 18-year-old qualifier Victoria Mboko, who has rocketed up the rankings this year herself, with a place in the third round at stake.