See the heart-warming moment Australian Open star Eva Lys is left stunned after learning how much she’s just earned at Melbourne Park

  • Eva Lys has been a ‘lucky loser’ at the Australian Open
  • 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya withdrew on eve of tournament
  • Lys, 23, then reached the fourth round in Melbourne

German tennis star Eva Lys has become an instant cult hero after being in shock at learning her pay cheque at the Australian Open.

Lys, 23, was outclassed by second seed Iga Swiatek 6-0 6-1 on Monday – but was delighted to hear her pay cheque was a whopping $420,000 after losing in the fourth round in Melbourne.

‘I have never went [this] far in a tournament,’ the world number 128 said in an interview.

‘That is insane….’that [money] is a number I have never heard of in my life.’

Earlier in the tournament, Lys cancelled her flight out of Australia, hoping she would be a ‘lucky loser.’

Her sporting prayers were soon answered, when 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya withdrew from the tournament with a virus.

Lys then capitalised on her opportunity, beating Aussie Kimberley Birrell, Varvara Gracheva and Jacqueline Cristian to reach the final 16.

‘Obviously I’m very, very happy to be making it to the second week, I feel like the second week was always such a dream for me,’ Lys said after her third-round win. 

German tennis star Eva Lys has become an instant cult hero after being in shock at learning her huge pay cheque at the Australian Open 

Lys, 23, was outclassed by second seed Iga Swiatek 6-0 6-1 - but was delighted to hear her pay cheque was a whopping $420,000 after losing in the fourth round

Lys, 23, was outclassed by second seed Iga Swiatek 6-0 6-1 – but was delighted to hear her pay cheque was a whopping $420,000 after losing in the fourth round

‘It definitely doesn’t feel real for me right now. I don’t know when the realisation will kick in. 

‘It’s definitely just an amazing situation to be in, especially knowing that I was lucky loser.’

Whoever wins the Australian Open – men and women – will receive $3.5million, while the runner-up will take home $1.9million.

Semi-finalists will also be laughing all the way to the bank, making $1.1million.

Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said last year increasing the prizemoney ensures many elite players won’t skip the tournament.

‘It is critical to the continued success of the Australian Open that we ensure the best players in the world are compensated appropriately as we know this [money] allows players to invest in their own careers and in many cases, helps set them up for success throughout the year,’ he said in a statement.

‘We want to ensure Australia remains the launchpad for the global tennis season and the players and their teams have everything they need to help them perform at their best and continue to enjoy the Happy Slam.’

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