Tagger Dominates Opening Round in Osaka
After three consecutive losses, the 18-year-old makes an impressive return, prevailing against a former Top 15 player.
Lilli Tagger has reached the round of 16 at the WTA 250 tournament in Osaka.
In the Japanese port city, the 18-year-old defeated Liudmila Samsonova (WTA-43) from Russia 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round.
Tagger, currently ranked 57th in the WTA world rankings, was barely troubled in the match, didn't drop her serve once, and confidently sealed the victory after one hour and 13 minutes.
Round of 16 Opponent Still Unknown
This marks an important victory for the East Tyrolean after three consecutive losses. Her opponent Samsonova was ranked as high as 12th in the world in 2023 and has won four WTA titles in her career.
In the round of 16, Tagger will now face the winner of the match between Tereza Valentova from the Czech Republic (WTA-88) and Shuai Zhang from China (WTA-85).
The Austrian would be the favorite against either opponent. Should she secure another victory, she would face China's Ann Li, the tournament's top seed, in the quarter-finals.
