"Crazy" - Lilli Tagger emerges victorious from tough battle

Lilli Tagger is playing a final at a WTA 250 tournament for the second time in her young career.

More than half a year after the final in Jiujiang (3-6, 3-6 against Anna Blinkowa), the 18-year-old ÖTV talent will face Darija Snigur (WTA-54) in Prague.

Major statement! Tagger in Prague final

"I can't really believe it"

In the semi-final, Tagger defeated two-time major winner Barbora Krejcikova 6-7, 6-3, 7-6.

"Crazy. Honestly, I can't really believe right now that I won the match. It was an incredible fight," said the player from Lienz after a nearly three-hour battle.

During this time, she only committed two double faults, and Tagger also hit eleven aces and was ahead of her opponent in all statistics.

Tagger closing in on the Top 50

The current world number 74 will also gain significant ground in the WTA rankings. Behind Anastasia Potapova (WTA-28), Tagger is currently already the second-best Austrian on tour.

In the live rankings, Tagger is already at position 52. With a win in the final, she would break into the Top 50 for the first time.

Tagger: "I was a bit nervous"

And yet, the player from Lienz remains grounded – and praises her opponent after the semi-final. "She plays great tennis. I watched her at Wimbledon a few weeks ago and was a bit nervous before the match."

Furthermore, the 18-year-old once again demonstrated her mental strength. When asked how she felt serving after being up 5-4 in the final set tie-break, the ÖTV player replied: "I just tried to focus on one point at a time."

According to Tagger, that wasn't the case in the first set, which she lost 6-7. "Maybe in the first set, I was thinking that I could win the set now."

Not even the Czech crowd, which naturally supported local favorite Drejcikova, rattled Tagger. Although she admits it "wasn't very easy." "But it's very nice and special to play in these great stadiums."