American WTA star Madison Keys‘ journey has been a rollercoaster ride this season. After claiming her maiden slam at the Australian Open back in January, the World No.6 has struggled to maintain the winning momentum across most of the events. The French Open was decent, with her reaching the quarters, but since then, her form has remained an issue. When Keys steps onto the hard court on Saturday, at the Cincinnati Open, her goal will be simple: kick-start the campaign on a winning note. But she’s got a tough challenge ahead in the form of German WTA pro Eva Lys, a youngster who’s shown potential in bits and pieces throughout this season.

Make no mistake. Lys is capable of pulling off an upset on any given day. Her Lucky Loser stint at the Australian Open, back in January is still fresh. It was a remarkable campaign for her – nothing less than a dream run – as she reached the fourth round. While most fans will expect Keys to win the upcoming battle, the German can’t be ruled out completely. In fact, fans should take notice of her now more than ever, as she continues to climb through the rankings. Now seems to be the best time to know more about the 23-year-old rising talent.

Eva Lys was born in January 2002, in Kyiv, Ukraine, to Vladimir Lys and Maria Lys. While father Vladimir has been a professional tennis player himself, her mother Maria’s a lawyer. Lys also has two siblings: elder sister Lisa Matviyenko and younger sister Isabella Lys. Eva was introduced to the racket sport by her father when she was just five-years-old. Originally from Ukraine, she is a German national.

Back in 2003, Lys’ family moved to Hamburg, Germany, when she was two-years-old. While she was trying to embrace the new culture, her father played a very crucial role in helping her take up tennis as a passion. She has previously emphasized his contributions, saying, “In the second half of the day, he was working, so he took us along, and we basically grew up on court. Pretty soon, both of us realized that we do not suck at this sport.”

While Vladimir was the one who made her familiar with the sport, her elder sister Lisa also contributed to her development, inspiring her to pursue tennis professionally. “She was actually the one who told me, ‘Eva, you’re going to lose every week. You have to learn how to lose, or else it’s going to be pretty tough for you. It’s more important to learn how to deal with your losses than to celebrate and be excited about your wins.’ That really stuck with me,” Eva had said previously.

In her career, Lys made her professional debut back in 2018. Her first appearance in a WTA main draw came during the 2022 Stuttgart Open as a qualifier. However, she accomplished a huge milestone in 2023 when Lys made her slam debut at the Australian Open. She failed to leave a lasting impression as she was ousted in the second round. In the last two years, however, she’s made her presence known on the biggest stages. Here’s an overview of her best campaigns so far across all four majors:

• Australian Open: Fourth Round (2025)
• French Open: Second Round (2025)
• Wimbledon: Second Round (2025)
• US Open: Second Round (2023)

When she stepped onto the court as a pro in 2018, Lys was ranked No. 1,181 in the world. But in recent years, especially this season, she has made huge strides and big leaps. At the start of 2025, she was ranked outside the top 100. But currently, she’s sitting at her career-best 55th spot. However, she will try to improve it even further, to get in better shape ahead of 2025’s last remaining slam – the US Open.

Eva Lys looks to beat Madison Keys and make a deep run in maiden Cincinnati appearance

Hard courts haven’t really been working for Eva Lys lately. Last week, she couldn’t move past the R32 at the Canadian Open in Montreal after losing to Wimbledon queen Iga Swiatek. This week, she has a last chance to get back into her groove. Her next big challenge on the hard court will be at the US Open later this month.

After 2023, she hasn’t been able to impress much in New York. Last season, Lys was ousted in the first round after losing to Czechia’s Marie Bouzková. This time, the German WTA pro would like to build momentum before arriving at Flushing Meadows. And her maiden appearance at the Cincinnati Open might be a golden opportunity to make a deep run.

Her matchup against American star Keys will be their maiden face-off at the professional level. Hence, one can’t assume who will come out on top, eventually. Now what may work in favor of Keys are the stats. She’s been a former champion in Cincinnati. Back in 2019, she beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in the summit clash to clinch the title.

But since then, there’s been a lack of consistency on her side. Keys’ last best performance at the WTA 1000 tournament came three years ago. Back then, she made it to the semis before losing to Petra Kvitova. What are your thoughts on the upcoming battle between the American and the German? Who will advance to the next round in Cincinnati? Let us know in the comments below.