Iga Swiatek showed no mercy as she ended "lucky loser" Eva Lys's historic run at the Australian Open on Monday, the world No 2 marching into the quarterfinals 6-0, 6-1.
There was to be no happy ending to Lys's incredible story against the ruthless five-time Grand Slam champion from Poland, who will meet either Emma Navarro or Daria Kasatkina for a place in the semifinals.
"There's a lot to improve. I don't feel like I'm in my peak yet," said Swiatek, who has dropped only two games in her last two matches.
"For sure, matches like that give me confidence and I feel like I'm playing a good game."
Swiatek has a patchy record in Melbourne, only reaching the semifinals once, in 2022, but warned she was in the mood this year.
"I usually didn't feel comfortable at the Australian Open with my game," she said.
"But this year it's a bit better. So I'm just enjoying being on the court and off the court as well.
"Because for sure I have an amazing time here, and hopefully it's gonna last even longer."
Order of Play | Watch Live on DStv
But Lys finally managed to hold her serve and raised her arms in celebration with her beaming smile eliciting a massive ovation from the packed Rod Laver Arena.
The 23-year-old Swiatek has been in imperious form, dropping just 11 games in her four wins at Melbourne Park.
For world number 128 Lys it was the end of what she called "an insane story".
She made the last 16 after getting a reprieve into the main draw, having losing in qualifying, when 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya withdrew minutes before her opening match.
Had Lys advanced she would have become the first lucky loser in history to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament.
But the 23-year-old had already made history by reaching the fourth round at Melbourne Park, a feat not achieved by a women's lucky loser since the tournament moved there in 1988.
'Staying alive': Tireless Navarro into Melbourne quarter with Swiatek
Emma Navarro said she was just "staying alive" after winning a fourth consecutive three-set marathon to set up an Australian Open quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek.
Emma stays thriving in deciders ☺️
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 20, 2025
Navarro is the second player in the Open Era to make the women's #AusOpen Quarterfinals with all three-setters in the first four Rounds after Jelena Dokic in 2009! pic.twitter.com/6S6DI7cKT3
The American eighth seed eventually beat Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 in 2hr 40min after blowing three match points in the second set.
"They played that song that goes 'staying alive' at 5-4 in the third set," said Navarro, who created an astonishing 25 break points only to see her Russian opponent save 16 of them.
"And I kind of felt like that was really appropriate this whole tournament," added Navarro, the US Open semifinalist last year who is into her maiden quarterfinal at Melbourne Park.
"I've just been staying alive, so hoping to continue on that train."
Three set thrillers?! They're what she does!
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2025
Emma Navarro gets it done at the death *again* to book a quarterfinal berth. #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/3qlOYLcge9
Navarro has spent more than 10 hours on court this year in Melbourne in her four three-setters, five-and-half-hours more than second seed Swiatek who has dropped only 11 games in the tournament.
SVITOLINA HOPES RUN BRINGS 'A LITTLE LIGHT' TO UKRAINE
Elina Svitolina said she hopes to bring "a little light" to the Ukrainian people after sweeping past a Russian into the quarterfinals.
The 28th seed beat Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne to set up a clash with American Madison Keys.
Like other players from Ukraine, Svitolina did not shake hands with her Russian opponent because of the war, and wrote "The spirit of Ukraine" on a TV camera lens at the end of a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
"This fighting spirit I try to show, that I try to represent as well," Svitolina told reporters.
"These days are very difficult for Ukraine. It's almost been three years that the war is ongoing.
"On a daily basis it is a very heavy rucksack that all Ukrainians have on their backs.
"For me to find a way to win matches, to find a way to bring a little light, a little win for the Ukrainian people is something that I feel I am responsible for.
"To bring the fight is the least that I can do."
The 30-year-old from Odesa said she could not see herself shaking hands with a Russian any time soon, even if the war were to end.
"I don't really see it happening because it's just a terrible, terrible feeling," she said.
"I do not wish anyone to ever experience this. To wake up to the news your friends died on the front line, being killed by Russian soldiers.
"It's something that is really, really heavy on my heart."
WAITING
Asked whether new US President Donald Trump could make a difference, Svitolina said: "I feel like we should leave the stage to him.
"It's difficult. There is a lot of talks going on how it's going to be, what is going to be, if he's going to finish the war in a few days or not.
"We can discuss this for hours, but no one knows really what's going to happen. We are just patiently waiting for this moment."
Organisers displayed a notice on giant centre court screens explaining to spectators that no handshake would take place and asking for "respect in these difficult circumstances".
Svitolina reached the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park for a third time, but her first for six years.
She will play Keys for a place in the semifinals.
Svitolina has reached the last four in Grand Slams on three previous occasions, at Wimbledon in 2019 and 2023, and the US Open in 2019, but never in Australia.
Keys, who reached her maiden Slam semifinal at the 2015 Australian Open, beat the 2023 runner-up Elena Rybakina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in 1hr 49min.
"It's hard to believe that it was 10 years ago, but really proud of myself today," said Keys, who also made the last eight in Melbourne in 2018 and 2022.
"She raised her level in the second set and played some really great tennis," added Keys, who came into Melbourne Park in form having won the Adelaide warm-up event.
"To still be up here and playing some good tennis all these years later, I'm really happy."
KEYS STUNS RYBAKINA
American Madison Keys upset sixth seed Elena Rybakina 6-3 1-6 6-3 in a roller-coaster match at Margaret Court Arena to march into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Monday and extend her win streak to nine matches this year.
Adelaide Open champion Keys had lost to the Kazakh in their last two encounters but was well in control for most of the last 16 tie, barring a rough patch in the second set when she lost four straight games.
Rybakina seemed to be struggling with a lower back injury that had affected her in the third round and Keys was able to play aggressively to neutralise her big serve and take control of the rallies.
"Her serve is such a weapon, so I knew that if I could just try to make at least some of her service games a little bit competitive, then I had a chance," said the 19th seed, who chalked up her third win over a top-10 player this month.
"So I was basically just trying to make anything that I could get my racket on back over the net, which worked sometimes."
The decider was neck-and-neck early on at 3-3 before Keys moved up a gear and sealed her spot in the next round with a searing cross-court winner on her second match point.
She will next play Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, who beat Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 6-1 earlier on Monday.
Lucky loser Lys happy despite exit after 'nicest week' in Melbourne
Lucky loser Eva Lys felt like she had been hit by a train after a heavy defeat by world No 2 Iga Swiatek in the Australian Open fourth round on Monday but the German said she had enjoyed the journey in the best week of her life.
Swiatek thrashed Lys 6-0 6-1 to end the fairytale run of the world number 128, who replaced the unwell Anna Kalinskaya in the main draw following a loss in the third round of the qualifying tournament for the year's first Grand Slam.
"It's definitely the nicest week I've had in my life just because it wasn't really only about the result, but also about the whole story," the 23-year-old Lys told reporters.
"This is the week I've been working for, for ages. I was always waiting for that moment. I've had a lot of nights where I was actually talking to my parents, often with tears, asking, When will the time come?"
The smile says it all 😁
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2025
Eva Lys holds serve for the first time against Iga and look at her reaction!#AusOpen • #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/AKoh7gN3YQ
Lys had every reason to be delighted after she became the first lucky loser to reach the last 16 since the Australian Open relocated to Melbourne Park in 1988, with her progress forcing her to change her flight out of Australia several times.
The Kyiv-born player, who for the last few years has been managing a rheumatic autoimmune disease called spondylarthritis that causes inflammation in her spine and joints, said her run at Melbourne Park had given her the belief she needed.
"Everything just came down to this week, where on one side it's definitely the tennis I played, but also it was the luck in the beginning," Lys said.
"It was just the momentum that made it so special."