Eva Lys made a positive start to her Miami Open qualifying final-round match but didn't manage to sustain the same level for the entire match and Aoi Ito came back from a set down to win 4-6 6-4 6-2.
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After putting up a stunning run to the Australian Open round-of-16 as a lucky loser, the rising German also debut at the WTA 1000 tournaments in Dubai as a qualifier and Indian Wells as a lucky loser, respectively.
Today, Lys was hoping to also secure a main-draw place at the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami for the first time. Unfortunately for the 23-year-old - who was seeded at No. 5 in the qualifying event - she fell short in her bid after losing a match that lasted nearly two and a half hours.
However, there is still a chance Lys makes the Miami main draw. But for that, she will need the same luck that she had at the Australian Open and Indian Wells - she will need someone to withdraw and then be lucky enough to be the first or one of the first alternates in line as a replacement.
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How Ito beat Lys?
In the first set, the German twice blew a break but still won the opener after breaking the Japanese in the 10th game when the world No. 106 was serving to stay in the first set.
After dropping the opener, Ito bounced by opening a 5-2 double-break lead in the second set - she didn't manage to serve out for the set in her first attempt but was successful in her second attempt in the 10th game.
At the start of the third set, Lys got broken in the first game but responded by winning the next two games and opening a 2-1 lead. Then, the 23-year-old's game suddenly collapsed and she lost the next five games and the match.
Ito now has a 2-0 head-to-head against Lys, having also beaten the German in Osaka last year.
