A German woman who loves RG

Yesterday, Eva Lys delivered the most unexpected performance of the women's first round: a 6-3, 6-0 victory against Marcinko, the Rabat champion who had just won five consecutive matches. A double break in the second set against a player brimming with confidence speaks volumes about her current form. Born in Kyiv and representing Germany since childhood, she has been managing ankylosing spondylitis for years, which clearly didn't hinder her mobility yesterday. She's a seeded fourth at the 2025 Australian Open, with a career-high ranking of 39th in January 2026. But her record on clay remains modest: 3-5 on WTA clay in 52 weeks, and 1-8 against top-20 players over the same period. Yesterday it was Marcinko. Today it's Cirstea.

Sorana Cirstea, 35, WTA 28, coached by her father Gigel, is having her best clay-court season in recent years: 14-4 on WTA clay in 52 weeks, a clear round in Stuttgart in 2026, and 50-19 in 52 weeks across all surfaces. Yesterday, she cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 victory in 1 hour and 12 minutes without breaking a sweat. Her serve has become a real weapon, averaging 4.4 aces per match this season, a significant increase compared to her career average. A quarterfinalist here in 2024, she knows this tournament well and arrives in peak form. The head-to-head record is 1-1: Lys beat Cirstea in straight sets at the 2026 Australian Open before losing the rematch at the same tournament 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. She has the ability to take a set off the Romanian.