‘Very sad and frustrating’: Anna Kalinskaya opens up about last-minute Australian Open withdrawal

World No. 14 Anna Kalinskaya was forced to withdraw from her Australian Open match against Aussie No. 1 Kimberly Birrell due to health complications, just minutes before stepping onto the court. In her place, lucky loser Eva Lys, who was notified only five minutes prior to the match, rushed to prepare and stepped up to face Birrell.

Kalinskaya’s exit, which came as a surprise to many, marks the first top-15 player to pull out of the tournament. The Russian, who had been defending significant points after reaching the 2024 quarterfinals, could see her ranking drop as a result. The 26-year-old later shared her disappointment on Instagram, explaining that she had been struck by a virus. “Very sad and frustrating today to pull out from the Australian Open. I was really looking forward to it but got some virus. Health comes first,” she wrote.

For Lys, the withdrawal created an unexpected opportunity. The 23-year-old German had spent the day at Melbourne Park in anticipation of a potential last-minute chance to play, but she had almost given up hope. When she received the news of Kalinskaya’s withdrawal, Lys had to rush to the locker room to change clothes and prepare without any warm-up. “I was panicking a little bit because I didn’t really prepare my drinks,” Lys admitted. “I didn’t have match clothes on. So I went to the locker room, got changed straight away, and then they called my name.”

Despite the chaotic preparation, Lys delivered an impressive performance, defeating Birrell 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the second round, where she will face French player Varvara Gracheva.