Targeted by trolls after Japan Women's Open exit, Eva Lys takes matters into her own hand with unique response

Eva Lys received a torrent of hate comments after her defeat to Aoi Ito in the quarterfinals of the Japan Women's Open. The German uniquely dealt with one troll by involving their alleged partner.

22-year-old Lys fell in the second round of the qualifiers in Osaka but reached the main draw as a lucky loser. She faced Camila Osorio in the first round and got the better of the Colombian 6-2, 6-3. The German marched into the quarterfinals after defeating McCartney Kessler 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-5 in a thrilling encounter.

Meanwhile, Japan's Ito has taken the WTA Tour by storm through her impressive performances this week in Osaka. Ito crossed the qualifiers, and defeated Grand Slam winner Sofia Kenin 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in the first round of the main draw, before knocking out eighth seed Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-4, 6-3 in the second round.

In the quarterfinals on Friday, October 18, Lys and Ito were inseparable in the first set but the German prevailed in the tie-breaker. However, the 20-year-old home favorite pulled off an impressive comeback to register a 6-7(8), 6-2, 6-3 victory.

After the match, Lys was bombarded with hate comments as seen in her Instagram stories post. She uploaded a collage of the negative messages she received after her defeat and captioned it:

"Hate, threats, and abuse should never be part of any sport. It's heartbreaking that this is so common, and I will never not talk about it. No one deserves to be treated like this - on or off the court"

Eva Lys' Instagram Story (Image: Instagram @eva.lys)

Lys demonstrated a unique way to deal with trolls. She uploaded a screenshot of one of the messages she received which read:

"That was some coward s**t you pulled off tonight"

She revealed the identity of the sender and even tagged their alleged partner on another stories post and wrote:

"Why is your man insulting a 22yo on Instagram?"

Eva Lys' Instagram Story (Image: Instagram @eva.lys)

Lys previously also shared her experience of online abuse when she was defeated in the semifinal of the Transylvania Open last year.

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Eva Lys responds to the positive messages she received after being trolled for her Japan Women's Open loss

Eva Lys at the 2024 US Open (Image: Getty)

After uploading stories about the hate comments she received following her loss at the Japan Women's Open, Eva Lys also gave a shoutout to the positive messages she received. She uploaded an image of herself with her mother and wrote:

"After a little reminder to be LOUD about negative things- I also have to say that I can see every single one of you that gives me love, support and positivity. Appreciate ALL of you. You guys are one of the reasons why I'm having so much fun in life"

Eva Lys' Instagram Story (Image: Instagram @eva.lys)

World No. 118 Lys holds a 27-15 record in 2024 after her Japan Women's Open campaign.