Eva Lys is off to a positive start to her Asian swing after beating Ashlyn Krueger 6-3 6-4 in the first round of the WTA 500 tournament in Seoul.
Lys, ranked at No. 69 in the world, blew an early first-set break but broke her 45th-ranked rival once again in the eighth game before serving out for the opener in the following game. The second set was more or less a similar story as the 69th-ranked German got and blew an early break - but remained unfazed - and took Krueger's serve once again in the seventh game. The 2025 Australian Open sensation then just held on to her serve for the rest of the match to complete her win.
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In the Seoul round-of-16, Lys faces No. 3 seed Clara Tauson, who had a first-round bye. They have no previous meetings.
Lys makes a promising start in Seoul after struggling with her health lately
A couple of years ago, Lys revealed that she was living with spondyloarthritis, an autoimmune disease. In mid-July, the 23-year-old's condition caused her some issues and she was forced to miss the Hamburg tournament.
“Unfortunately, I have to share with you that I’ve made the difficult decision to withdraw from this year’s MSC Hamburg Ladies Open. Since Wimbledon, I’ve been dealing with a flare-up of my arthritis, which currently makes it not possible for me to train or compete at the level I expect from myself – and more importantly, the level you all deserve," the 23-year-old said in mid-July.
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Prior to coming to Seoul, Lys made the Cleveland quarterfinal, but had to give a walkover to Anastasia Zakharova. At the US Open, the German won her opening match before retiring mid-match against Linda Noskova in the second round due to a back injury.
It remains to be seen if Seoul is the place where Lys turns the page.
