Eva Lys, the 21-year-old player from Germany, currently ranked 133rd in the world, pulled off the surprise of the day at the Transylvania Open by defeating Sorana Cîrstea, the top seed of the tournament, in the first round. Lys, who made her professional debut just a year ago, triumphed in two symmetric sets, 6-3 and 6-3, with a fantastic, at times, near-perfect performance.
Making her first-ever appearance in the evening session of a major tournament and facing the top seed, Lys rose to the occasion and delivered an impeccable match. Without the burden of pressure, knowing she had little to lose given the circumstances and her opponent, Lys didn’t give Sorana any room to breathe. She moved well, struck quickly, retrieved ball after ball, and didn’t hesitate to earn her points.
On the other hand, Sorana struggled to find her footing in the match, had difficulties with her serve, and couldn’t string together her shots or her game. She made several attempts to stage a comeback, but at no point could she clean up her game from errors.
For Lys, this is the most important victory of her career and her first win against a player in the Top 30.
Lys’ next opponent will be determined from the match between Jacqueline Cristian and Celine Naef, scheduled for Wednesday.
