First Grand Slam Victory! Tagger overcomes opening hurdle at US Open

Lilli Tagger is in the second round of the US Open after a 6:0, 7:6 (4) victory over Tamara Korpatsch (WTA-48.).

The Austrian got off to a perfect start in the match, breaking her opponent's serve in the very first game. Subsequently, the Austrian held her own service game confidently and extended her lead with another break to make it 3:0.

Even after that, Tagger remained clearly dominant and first increased her lead to 4:0. In the fifth game, she put Korpatsch under pressure again but couldn't close out the game for a long time. The 18-year-old finally converted her fourth break point to make it 5:0. She then served out the first set confidently.

Second Set Starts Like the First

The second set initially saw little change in the match. Tagger once again broke Korpatsch's serve in the very first game and confirmed the early break by holding her own serve for a 2:0 lead.

The Austrian continued to dominate and pulled away to 4:0. Only then did Korpatsch manage her first game win of the match, followed by a break to make it 4:2.

Tagger Loses Her Way

The match then shifted in favor of the German, who leveled the score at 5:4 within a few minutes. Subsequently, both players held their service games, leading to a tiebreak to decide the set.

In the tiebreak, Tagger initially did not get off to an optimal start and quickly fell behind 0:3. However, the Austrian fought her way back and leveled the score at 4:4 after eight points played. The 18-year-old then kept her composure, won the next three points, and clinched the tiebreak 7:4.

Tagger thus celebrates her first victory at a Grand Slam tournament. In the second round, she will face the winner of the clash between tenth seed Ashlyn Krueger and Amanda Anisimova.