WTA: Lys surprises in Monastir

Lys got off to a very bad start, losing her first two service games and then not finding her way back into the set. Mertens, number 32 in the world rankings and thus 94 places higher than her opponent, used her third set point to make her third break.

In the second set, Mertens (28) was again 2-0 ahead, but Lys fought back against the former semi-finalist of the Australian Open (2018) and started a run of ten consecutive wins. In the third set, the tables turned again, Mertens made a 0-4 bet, but Lys kept her nerve. After 2:36 hours, she used her first match point.