Eva Lys has withdrawn from Indian Wells at the last minute, with the 24-year-old citing a knee injury as the reason why. It comes on the eve of the third WTA 1000 tournament of the year in California. Lys had been drawn to play Caty McNally in the opening round of action, but the Kyiv-born star won’t be taking to the court.

It comes amid an ongoing injury problem that Lys picked up at the Australian Open earlier this year. She’s yet to return to the tour since sustaining the knee problem during a first-round defeat to Sorana Cirstea in the opening Grand Slam of 2026. Lys reached the second round at Indian Wells last year, but won’t even take to the court this time around.

In a statement posted on social media, Lys said: “Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from the Indian Wells tournament due to my knee injury. I really wanted to be there but I’m simply not ready yet. It’s a difficult decision, especially at the last second, but health will always remain my priority.”

Because the withdrawal came before the tournament had started, Lys will be replaced. Dalma Galfi has been awarded the lucky loser spot ahead of this week’s start, with the Hungarian ace having lost to Lanlana Tararudee in qualifying.

There has however been a slight alteration to the draw, which took place just over 24 hours before Lys’ withdrawal, as Galfi won’t play Lys’ intended opponent McNally, but instead another rival. The player in question is Lanlana Tararudee, with McNally now set to face Victoria Jimenez.

There had been fears that the men’s main draw could be thrown into chaos amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Iranian airstrikes saw flights leaving the United Arab Emirates grounded over the weekend, leaving those who had been competing in the latter stages of the Dubai Tennis Championships stranded.

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Rublev’s mother, Marina Maryenko, confirmed the news to Russian outlet RIA Novosti: “I’m waiting for Andrey to call me about his arrival in Istanbul. They organised a special flight for Medvedev, Khachanov, and Rublev’s team.

“We departed Oman at 4pm and I’m waiting for a call about our arrival in Istanbul. From there, the guys are flying to Los Angeles. The flight is six hours and 30 minutes, they said.

“If I’m not mistaken, the ATP helped with the arrangements. They kept holding up the flight for a long time. We arrived in Istanbul.”