Iga Swiatek was made to work extremely hard today and found herself on the verge of losing to an inspired Eva Lys before completing a 3-6 6-3 6-4 comeback at the United Cup.
In the past, the six-time Grand Slam champion claimed three straight-set wins over the German.
After not winning a single set in her opening three matches against Swiatek, Lys came to play today as the world No. 40 played high-level tennis in the first set and won four consecutive games from 2-3 to bag the opener.
Eva Lys can’t believe on how well she is playing 😅 pic.twitter.com/BCZcKoxGPF
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 5, 2026
Up by a set, Lys also soon went up by a break in the second set after opening a 3-1 lead. Down by a set and a break, Swiatek managed to find the needed spark as she responded by taking the next five games and forcing a decider.
Lys didn't quit but Swiatek was stronger in the end
After Lys lost the second set in such a way, one would think that the 23-year-old German would mentally collapse. Although the world No. 2 earned a break in the fourth game to go 3-1 up, the 40th-ranked German instantly responded by getting the break back in the following game.
In the seventh game, the top-ranked German tennis player had two break points for a 4-3 lead. Unfortunately for the 23-year-old, she didn't manage to convert.
With Swiatek leading 5-4 and Lys serving to stay in the match, the Pole used her experience to press the German and claimed the key break to complete a comeback in two and a half hours of play.
Lys may have lost to the reigning Wimbledon champion today, but there is no doubt that this was her best-ever performance.
Meanwhile, Swiatek's win completed Poland's victory over Germany as Hubert Hurkacz beat Alexander Zverev earlier today.
