Tagger Storms into Athens Main Draw

Lilli Tagger (WTA-83) has successfully navigated the qualification for the WTA 250 tournament in Athens. The top-seeded Austrian clearly defeated American Madison Sieg (WTA-378), seeded ninth, in the decisive qualifying round with a score of 6-0, 6-3.

The 18-year-old entered the duel against the American, who had already survived the first qualifying round on Saturday, as the clear favorite. However, Sieg found very few answers against Tagger from the start.

Dream Start Paves Way to Set Win

Tagger got off to a perfect start, breaking Sieg in the very first service game. After a confident hold of her own serve, the East Tyrolean quickly led 2-0. In the third game, she initially squandered two more break chances but converted the third attempt, securing a double break to go up 3-0.

The Austrian remained dominant thereafter. After a slightly tighter service game, she increased her lead to 4-0 before even securing a third break later in the first set. At 5-0, Tagger had to fend off several chances from her opponent for the first time but remained strong-nerved, serving out the set to win it 6-0.

Sieg Improves – Tagger Remains Confident

The start of the second set was initially more balanced. Tagger had two break opportunities thanks to a double fault from Sieg, but she couldn't convert them. The American got on the scoreboard for the first time, taking a 1-0 lead.

However, Tagger was not deterred. She held her serve and shortly after secured another break to make it 2-1. This time, the 18-year-old confidently consolidated her lead, going up 3-1. Sieg now found her rhythm better and shortened the gap to 2-3, but Tagger did not relinquish control.

Both players remained untroubled on their serve until 5-3. In the ninth game, Tagger then made the decisive move, securing her fifth break of the day to win the match. After 1 hour and 20 minutes, the Austrian converted her first match point, thereby advancing to the main draw of the WTA 250 tournament in Athens.

The tournament in the Greek capital is celebrating its comeback on the WTA Tour this year. Athens replaces the Jiangxi Open on the calendar, bringing the WTA back to the city after a 35-year hiatus.