Eva Lys has endured a difficult 2026 season, dealing with injury issues and struggling to find consistency on the tour. After kicking off her North American hardcourt swing with a tearful exit at the Canadian Open, the German suffered another setback at the Cincinnati Open, triggering a fresh wave of hateful online abuse.
Eva Lys Reacts to Social Media Abuse Following Cincinnati Open Exit
After an injury issue forced her withdrawal from the Prague Open, Lys returned to action at the Canadian Open in Toronto. She locked horns with Panna Udvardy in the first round of the WTA 1000 event, and the match initially unfolded in a closely contested fashion.
However, the German was forced to retire with Udvardy leading 2-6, 7-6(3), 2-0. She was visibly emotional during the match, breaking down in tears at her bench and throwing her racket in frustration.
Lys was likely hoping to bounce back strongly at the Cincinnati Open. Although she lost to Anna Blinkova in the second round of qualifying, the 24-year-old was able to enter the main draw as a lucky loser.
She squared off against Sofia Kenin in the first round and made a stellar start to the contest by dominating the opening set. However, Kenin mounted an impressive comeback to claim a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory and advance to the second round.
Lys later shared a screenshot of the cruel messages she had received over her Cincinnati Open exit, which included horrific abuse and death threats directed toward her parents.
“Men will do anything but go to therapy,” she posted on her Instagram story.
Is this a problem caused by gambling? These messages are sick
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This is not the first time that Lys has spoken out about the abuse she has faced on social media. In a conversation with Ajla Tomljanović for the Tennis Channel earlier this year, the 24-year-old opened up about the overwhelming barrage of hate she received after her first-round exit at the Australian Open.
“I block religiously. It’s so funny you mentioned that because I had that topic the past days with my parents. I’ve had a lot of hate after losing first round, and it was like the first time where I was like a little bit overwhelmed with how many people were hating on me. They’re telling me I should spend less time on Instagram, do less photo shoots and focus more on practice,” she said.
She revealed that she dealt with the abuse by blocking the trolls on Instagram.
“And every time I get a comment, that’s targeted at me I block because people can hate on me, people can hate on their page, people can make articles about me, I don’t care about that. But if you are coming on my page I am gonna block and block again,” she added.
Earlier this season, Lys also called out German media over the “devaluing” and “consistently negative” coverage of female athletes after losing in the first round of the Madrid Open.
MORE: Eva Lys Throws Her Racket in Frustration, Sheds Tears Before Mid-Match Retirement at Canadian Open
Following her loss at the Cincinnati Open, Eva Lys is now at risk of dropping out of the top 100, slipping to World No. 98 in the live WTA rankings. The German will look to get back to winning ways at the US Open, which kicks off on Aug. 30.
