Anna Kalinskaya’s last-minute withdrawal opens door for Eva Lys at the Australian Open

Anna Kalinskaya withdrew from the Australian Open at the last minute before facing local Kimberly Birrell. The tennis player was defending the quarterfinals she reached last year, where she lost to the eventual runner-up Zheng Qinwen.

The world No. 16 appeared to have a clear path to the second week as the 16th seed, after the 21st seed from her side of the draw, Victoria Azarenka, was shocked in the first round. Unfortunately, Kalinskaya could not compete, though she has not provided official reasons for her withdrawal.

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In her place, lucky loser Eva Lys, who lost in the third round of qualifying to Destanee Aiava, stepped onto the court. The 22-year-old German had only one previous appearance in the main draw of Melbourne, back in 2023, where she was defeated by Cristina Bucsa. This time though she took her chance as LL and beat Kimberly Birrell 6-2 6-2.

Kalinskaya risks dropping out of the top 20 after losing over 400 points due to her withdrawal, though this will depend on the results throughout the week. We will have to wait to see if Kalinskaya is dealing with physical issues, while she is registered to play the Singapore Open in two weeks.

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