“Was the key”
LIVE: Tagger loses first set in all-Austrian matchup
Anastasia Potapova won the all-Austrian tennis match against Lilli Tagger at the WTA 500 tournament in Linz. The new Austrian won the quarterfinal match 7-6(7), 6-0 and will face Croatian Donna Vekic in the semifinals, who defeated Czech Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-4.
For Tagger, however, her first appearance in Linz came to an end in the quarterfinals, though she can celebrate her first-ever entry into the top 100.
“I was very focused; that was the key. I just took it point by point, even when things didn’t always go my way. I’m glad I managed to pull it off,” Potapova said in her on-court victory interview. Her teammate, with whom she had competed in doubles earlier in the week, was naturally disappointed. “Of course, it’s a real shame. The first set was pretty close; I almost threw it away myself. It’s a shame about the second set; I might have let myself get intimidated a little bit there. But that’s part of it; you learn from it,” Tagger said on ORF TV.
Tagger fights her way back
Potapova got off to a strong start in the all-Austrian match, breaking her 18-year-old opponent’s serve to love in the opening game and holding her own serve without dropping a point. Tagger took a while to get into the match, but at 3-4, the East Tyrolean fought back and leveled the score with a break. At 5-4, the now much more active Tagger took the lead for the first time, but then failed to capitalize on set points. The match was therefore decided in a tiebreak: The teenager quickly took a 4-1 lead, but Potapova fought back and had set points at 6-5 and 7-6. Tagger managed to fend them off, but a forehand error ultimately gave the Russian-born player a 1-0 lead after an hour.
Here are the match statistics:
Quick affair in the second set
The second set proceeded much more quickly: While Tagger failed to convert two break points early on, Potapova broke her opponent’s serve three times and closed out the set—and with it the match—6-0 after 1 hour and 35 minutes. She is the first Austrian to reach a Linz semifinal since 1997 and has already climbed more than 30 spots in the rankings to No. 65. “I’m very proud of myself today. I really like Lilli; I think she has a great future ahead of her. This was just the first of many matches we’ll play against each other. I wish her good luck,” said Potapova.
She thus kept her chances alive for a second Linz title; the 25-year-old had claimed the winner’s check in the Steel City in 2023—back then still competing for Russia. Tagger also has reason to be pleased: By defeating Paula Badosa (ESP) and Lyudmila Samsonova (RUS-3), she beat two notable opponents, secured a spot in the main draw of the French Open by breaking into the top 100, and made another promise for the future. “That was the goal. It’s a milestone we’ve achieved. But now it’s about learning from the match,” said the young star.
Tagger also has reason to be pleased; by defeating Paula Badosa (ESP) and Lyudmila Samsonova (RUS-3), she overcame two formidable opponents and offered further promise for the future.
Andreeva Advancest
Meanwhile, the second semifinal will feature top-seeded Mirra Andreeva of Russia and Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse. On Friday, the 18-year-old Russian defeated Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the quarterfinals after a hard-fought battle, winning 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2. Cirstea’s compatriot Ruse had previously eliminated fourth-seeded Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the first quarterfinal match of the day.
Upper Austria Ladies (WTA500, €1.049 million, clay/indoor)
Quarterfinals:
Anastasia Potapova (AUT) – Lilli Tagger (AUT) 7-6(7), 6-0
Mirra Andreeva (RUS-1) – Sorana Cirstea (ROU-5) 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2
Elena-Gabriela Ruse (ROU) – Jelena Ostapenko (LAT-4) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
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