- Eva Lys has been a 'lucky loser' at the Australian Open
- 13 Top seed Anna Kalinskaya withdrew on the eve of the tournament
- Lys, 23, reached the fourth round in Melbourne.
German tennis star Eva Lys has become an instant cult heroine after she was shocked to learn of her Australian Open salary.
Lys, 23, was beaten by second seed Iga Swiatek 6-0 6-1 on Monday but was delighted to learn her paycheck was a whopping $420,000 after losing in the fourth. round in Melbourne.
“I've never gotten this far in a tournament,” the world number 128 said in an interview.
'That's crazy…'that (money) is a number I've never heard of in my life.'
Early in the tournament, Lys canceled her flight out of Australia, hoping to be a “lucky loser.”
Their sporting prayers were soon answered, when 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya withdrew from the tournament due to a virus.
Lys then seized her opportunity, beating Australia's Kimberley Birrell, Varvara Gracheva and Jacqueline Cristian to reach the round of 16.
“Obviously I'm very, very happy to get to the second week, I feel like the second week was always a dream for me,” Lys said after her third round victory.
German tennis star Eva Lys has become an instant cult hero after being shocked to learn of her huge Australian Open payday.
Lys, 23, was beaten by second seed Iga Swiatek 6-0 6-1 but was delighted to learn her paycheck was a whopping $420,000 after losing in the fourth round.
'It definitely doesn't feel real to me right now. I don't know when I'll realize it.
“It's definitely an amazing situation, especially knowing that I was a lucky loser.”
Whoever wins the Australian Open (men and women) will receive $3.5 million, while the runner-up will take home $1.9 million.
The semi-finalists will also laugh their way to the bank and win $1.1 million.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said last year that increasing the prize money ensures many elite players do not miss the tournament.
“It is critical to the continued success of the Australian Open that we ensure the best players in the world are adequately compensated, as we know this (money) allows players to invest in their own careers and, in many cases, helps them to prepare for success throughout the year,' he said in a statement.
“We want to ensure that Australia remains the launch pad for the global tennis season and that players and their teams have everything they need to help them perform at their best and continue to enjoy the Happy Slam.”