WATCH: Iga Swiatek's 4R opponent Eva Lys reacts in disbelief after finding out she won $260,000+ at Australian Open despite 60-minute loss to Pole

Eva Lys may have lost to Iga Swiatek in the fourth round of the Australian Open 2025, but there was a silver lining -- the massive paycheck that came with her fourth-round finish.

Lys was beaten 6-0, 6-1 by the second-seeded Swiatek in quick time (60 minutes), but it has been a remarkable journey for the young German at the Melbourne Major. She had initially lost in the third round of qualifying, but a stroke of luck saw her find a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser.

The 23-year-old played three brilliant matches to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open, which is her best-ever performance at a Grand Slam.

In a video posted on the Australian Open's Instagram page, Lys was informed that she won A$420,000 (USD $260,988) for her fourth-round finish and she was visibly stunned by the figure. In utter disbelief, Lys said she had no idea how much prize money she made because it wasn't something she had thought about.

In awe of the prize money she had won, Lys said:

"I've never gone that far in a tournament. That is insane. That is a number I have never even heard in my life!"

The total prize money at the 2025 Australian Open is A$96,500,000 which translates to around USD $59,900,000.

Eva Lys' stunning Australian Open campaign saw her become the first lucky loser to make the fourth round of the calendar's first hardcourt Slam. As per the WTA live rankings, Eva Lys will also break into the WTA top 100 for the first time.

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A great start to 2025 for Eva Lys

Eva Lys has made a great start to the season by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open. This was the second time in her career that Lys had made the main draw of the Melbourne Major, her previous appearance coming in 2023. Having lost in the third round of qualifying last year, she went on to make the main draw of each of the remaining three Grand Slams.

Eva Lys of in action at the 2025 Australian Open. Source: Getty

When she got the opportunity to play in the main draw this year, she took the chance with both hands and played some impressive tennis. Lys, who has three ITF singles titles in her career, began her campaign with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Kimberly Birrell.

She ground out a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win against Varvara Gracheva in the second round and followed that up with a comeback 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory against Jaqueline Cristian in the third round.

Swiatek, though, proved to be too good for the German but Lys leaves the Australian Open with plenty of positives and a massive paycheck.