OK, maybe. But if Lys plays the way she did in the third set against Cristian, she might actually have a chance. Lys pulled the trigger whenever an opening presented itself, on both wings. Leading 4-2 in the decider, Lys doubled Cristian in the winner out, 30 to 15. By match’s end, it was 34 to 16.
She withstood the hot conditions in Melbourne while her opponent donated errors—Cristian had 46, two more than Lys, but 13 in the third set. Lys also served impeccably, winning 80 percent of her first-serve points in the second set, and 81 percent in the decider.
Most importantly, Lys stayed positive after every point, and especially on the ones she won, punctuating them with fist-pumps. She looked like she belonged in the main draw from the onset, rather than the 128th-ranked player in the world (not for much longer—she’s assured of cracking the Top 100 for the first time).
