AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 17, 2026

Eva Lys

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with Eva Lys. First question from me. Eva welcome back to Australia. Welcome back to the Australian Open. You had a great run here last year. Can you share some of the memories you have later and what you're expectations are for this run?

EVA LYS: I mean, I'm always very excited to be coming back to Australia. I feel like it's one of my favorite tournaments. It could be related to my last year's run.

But no I love the people. I love the courts. The weather is great. I feel great here so I'm excited for a good start.

Q. Can you talk a little about the United Cup because you played really good against Iga. How do you feel about it and how much are you excited to have this tournament?

EVA LYS: I mean, first of all I'm very happy to be coming closer and closer. If you think about my last results, they were pretty easy for her.

But I was always improving. And I feel like that's one thing that really kept me going. I was very happy to at least get a set off of her.

We were both playing pretty well. She was the better player in the most important moments, which I still think about. I'm really sad that I couldn't win the match.

I mean, it's giving me a lot of confidence knowing that I can play that level. And definitely taking that into the next week.

But for me, I'm trying to think of it as a process. There's nothing that has to come down to this week, but more like comparing what player was a year before and what player I'm now. Yeah, it's a very nice feeling.

Q. I just want to make sure that if you are a kind of player who likes to see that the whole draw or just don't want to see...

EVA LYS: One at a time. I know there are players who don't want to know at all. I didn't look at the draw. I mean, I'm scared to check the draw. I'm just asking my mom or just like my team who is playing who or looking at the schedule, which is also good because you don't know the draw. But I know my opponent, and I keep it at that for now.

Q. I'm curious if you watched the match, Sabalenka against Nick Kyrgios, and I was wondering if you have any opinion of that?

EVA LYS: I mean, I feel like I'm a fan of everything that gets the sport into the spotlight, and the sport was definitely in the spotlight. We had two amazing players.

Nick Kyrgios, I mean, he's a finalist of a Grand Slam. You've got to do that. It's not easy. And Sabalenka, in my opinion, one of the best players on tour right now. Amazing personality. And came together. They tried to do it for a sport. I feel like a lot of people were talking about it.

So, I'm here to make the sport more popular.

Q. I believe this is your first time directly in the main draw. Previously you've had to go through quallies. Now that you have this additional week to prepare rather than prepare for qualifying matches, how did you spend that week in terms of having additional practice time for this week?

EVA LYS: With a lot of slams I was always doing similar things. Like even if I was playing quallies. I was not -- I don't think -- I don't know, I wasn't playing many lead-up events to slams even with quallies.

So I feel like everything just like, I could play the United Cup which is nice. So now I feel very comfortable with practicing. I like coming to tournaments a little earlier to get used to the conditions because my body always needs a little bit more time to get used to the courts, weather, everything. That's why I also came a little earlier to Australia.

But it does feel nice to be in the main draw for the first time. Actually I was watching a couple of quallies matches, and I was rooting for them because I know how it's to play quallies and how nervous you get and how many emotions that go in there.

Especially on the last day of quallies I like to watch the matches because I get very, very emotional because I knew that was me a couple of years ago a lot of times.

I'm definitely cherishing the moment that I can practice this week.

Q. You mentioned it a little earlier in your first question but talking about have you seen the growth as a player from 2025 to 2026. Where did you see the growth specifically with your game?

EVA LYS: Definitely I feel like mentality is one very important thing. It definitely took me a couple of months to really get used to the tour, also the opponents I have had. I've had a couple of tough matches in the beginning of last year that I didn't win. And knowing that I'm coming closer and closer and also winning against top, top players is again giving me the confidence that I need.

I feel like I just go on court knowing that I have a specific level to also belong on that court. Yeah, I feel like it's just like the overall confidence and maybe calmness being on the tour that I was definitely missing a year ago. That's a nice feeling?

Q. Not wanting to know the draw, is that something you've always done throughout your career?

EVA LYS: Yep.

Q. How does that help you?

EVA LYS: I'm pretty easygoing. Even if I find out, it's not a big deal for me. But I know I do think a lot. So I don't see a reason for me to think about the next round if I haven't played the first one. I've been doing that my whole life.