World No. 66 Eva Lys' fairytale Beijing run continues after the German tennis player came back to beat 39th-ranked American McCartney Kessler 4-6 6-1 6-2 to reach her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal.
Lys, who stunned Elena Rybakina in the China Open third round, struggled on her serve early on and dropped the first set after losing her serve three times. But at the start of the second set, the world No. 66 stabilized on her serve and went 4-0 up, before serving out for the set in the sixth game. After dominating the second set, the German did the same in the decider, taking Kessler's serve three times en route to completing her comeback win.
Now, for a place in the Beijing semifinal, Lys will battle against defending champion Coco Gauff. They have no previous meetings.
Lys was on the verge of breaking down in tears after her milestone in Beijing
After reaching her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal, the 23-year-old admitted in front of the China Open crowd that she felt very emotional and on the brink of breaking down in tears.
“I’m trying to hold back my tears. It was so fun playing in front of you guys… I didn’t expect to have a lot of fans in China. I really appreciate that. It means so much to be in my first WTA 1000 quarterfinal," Lys said.
Eva Lys on reaching her 1st WTA 1000 QF in Beijing
“I’m trying to hold back my tears. It was so fun playing in front of you guys.. I didn’t expect to have a lot of fans in China. I really appreciate that. 🥹 it means so much to be in my 1st WTA 1000 QF”
pic.twitter.com/Q9AjSkeVFQ— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 30, 2025
If you remember well, Lys had a breakout Grand Slam run at this year's Australian Open, when she as a lucky loser made the round-of-16 and became the first lucky loser to do so at Melbourne Park since 1988.
