A Thriller in the First Qualifying Round
LIVE NOW: Tagger vs. Zakharova in Eastbourne
Up-and-coming tennis prospect Lilli Tagger got off to a rocky start in this year’s grass-court season. The 18-year-old from East Tyrol lost a close three-set match to Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova on Saturday in the first qualifying round of the WTA 250 tournament in Eastbourne, UK. Tagger squandered a total of three match points.
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen For Tagger, it was her first appearance on the WTA Tour since her first-round exit at the French Open in Paris.
The East Tyrolean, who was seeded number eleven in the Eastbourne qualifiers, is currently ranked 84th in the world, placing her slightly higher than Zakharova, who is ranked 90th. The 18-year-old Austrian and the 24-year-old Russian had never faced each other before.
ÖTV’s rising star fought back in the second set
Tagger lost the first set 4–6, with the Russian securing the decisive break to make it 5–4. In the second set, Zakharova again broke Tagger’s serve to lead 5–4 and served for the match. But Tagger fought her way back into the match, broke back to tie it at 5–5, broke the Russian in turn to lead 6–5, and ultimately won the set 7–5.
Thrilling Tiebreak in Set 3
The deciding set turned into a nail-biter. Tagger initially dropped her serve to fall behind 2–3, but immediately broke back to level the score at 3–3. After that, both players held their serves, so the set had to be decided in a tiebreak. And that’s where Tagger’s nerves failed her. The East Tyrolean had two match points at 6–4 and then another at 7–6—but she squandered them all. The Russian, for her part, converted her very first match point at 8–7 and walked off the court as the lucky winner after 2 hours and 50 minutes of play.
Kraus Advances Past First Qualifying Round in Bad Homburg
Saturday went more successfully for Sinja Kraus. The Austrian defeated Czech player Tereza Martincová 6-4, 6-3 in the qualifying round of the WTA 500 tournament in Bad Homburg. In her bid for a spot in the main draw, Kraus will now face Mexican player Renata Zarazúa.
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