Eva Lys stood just one game away from victory at the Canadian Open, leading 6-2, 5-2 against Panna Udvardy, but her night unraveled dramatically. The squandered lead became the turning point, as Udvardy stormed back to win four of the next five games and force a tiebreaker.

Frustration boiled over when Lys smashed her racket after an unforced error. She lost the breaker 7-3, and tears followed as the match slipped away.

By the third set, her physical struggles were impossible to ignore. After dropping the first two games, she called for a physiotherapist and took a medical timeout, but ultimately retired, handing Udvardy a 2-6, 7-6, 2-0 victory.

The Canadian Open was more than just another tournament; it carried ranking implications for Lys, who has already fallen to No. 85 and risks dropping outside the top 100. Her struggles have been mounting all year.

She missed two months after tearing a lateral knee ligament in her Australian Open opener. Her comeback at the Miami Open in March was followed by a string of early exits: a 3-5 record on clay and just one win in three grass tournaments.

Health issues have compounded the problem. She withdrew from the Prague Open at the last minute, calling the decision “incredibly frustrating” after already missing two weeks of play. Lys has also spoken openly about living with spondyloarthritis, a condition that makes recovery harder.

“Really sad to have to withdraw from this week’s tournament in Prague due to health reasons,” she wrote on an Instagram post. “Having to pull out at the last minute, especially after already missing the last two weeks, is incredibly frustrating. It’s been a tough start to the year, but I’m trusting that better days are ahead. Thank you for all the nice messages. You guys are the ones carrying me through all of it.”

Eva Lys was subjected to online abuse after her Bad Homburg Open defeat

The setbacks haven’t been limited to the court. At the Bad Homburg Open, she lost to Emma Navarro 7-6, 6-3 and then revealed the online abuse she endured afterward.

At first, the messages were rather simple, like, “I love you.” But the user’s tone completely changed after Lys’ defeat, and the messages became abusive all of a sudden. “You are f****g dog s**t,” the user wrote in one of the messages.  “Serving for the set and you have s*** in your pants. I hope you d**,” another message read.

Lys took action against these disturbing comments and shared them on her Instagram story. She also wrote a message for the user stating, “Austin, we have to work on your moodswings.”

Following her disappointing defeat in Toronto, Lys will be hoping to bring a change to her fortunes at the Cincinnati Masters. Her ranking has already fallen to No. 85, and she can very well be pushed out of the top 100 if her results do not improve in the near future.