Eva Lys expressed her sadness after a heartbreaking defeat to Madison Keys in the second round of the 2025 Cincinnati Open. The match marked the first time that these two players faced each other on the WTA Tour.
Leading up to the WTA 1000 event in Ohio, Lys competed at the Canadian Open, where she advanced to the third round before being eliminated by Iga Świątek.
How Did Eva Lys React to Losing to Madison Keys at Cincinnati Open 2025?
Lys began her campaign at the 2025 Cincinnati Open with a victory over wild card Bernarda Pera in the first round, winning with a scoreline of 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. In the second round, she faced off against sixth seed Madison Keys, starting strong by taking the first set 6-1.
The former World No. 5, however, mounted an incredible comeback, winning the following two sets and ultimately clinching the match with a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1) scoreline. Notably, Keys saved a couple of match points to reach the decisive tiebreak.
Following her loss, a heartbroken Lys took to social media to share a series of images from her second-round match. She expressed that the missed match points against Keys would “haunt” her. She also commended the American for putting up an “insane fight” to win the match.
“💔 those match points will haunt me in my sleep. insane fight from @madisonkeys , those are the matches i play for. Thank you @cincytennis,” Lys captioned her Instagram post.
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During the on-court interview, Keys credited the crowd for pushing her during challenging moments in the match, particularly after being down a set. She also mentioned that their encouragement played a crucial role in her ability to navigate the match points.
“First of all, thank you guys. You got me through that match. I just kept trying to listen to everyone here cheering me on, and it really helped me get back in that third set and then get across the finish line. So thank you again, everyone,” Keys said.
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Interestingly, Keys similarly saved a match point against Iga Świątek in the 2025 Australian Open semifinals before winning the title.
Who Will Madison Keys Face Next at the 2025 Cincinnati Open?
Following her victory over Lys in the second round of the 2025 Cincinnati Open, Keys is set to face Aoi Ito in the third round of the tournament.
Ito earned her spot in the main draw by winning her qualifying matches against Aleksandra Krunić and Dalma Gálfi.
In the main draw, Ito continued her strong form, starting with a 6-2, 7-6(6) win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round. She advanced to the third round by overcoming 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova with a scoreline of 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
The upcoming third-round match at the 2025 Cincinnati Open marks the first time that Keys and Ito go up against each other on the WTA Tour.
The winner of the match will face either ninth seed Elena Rybakina or 19th seed Elise Mertens in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 tournament.
