Career milestone for Austrian teen Lilli Tagger at Linz

Field Level Media|published: Tue 7th April, 15:48 2026

Lilli Tagger celebrates winning her first-round match over Varvara Gracheva of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Thursday, March 5, 2026. Tagger, just 18-years-old, marked her first-ever WTA 1000 event win.

Austrian teen Lilli Tagger thrilled the partisan crowd with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Spain's Paula Badosa on Tuesday in the first round of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz in Linz, Austria.

Tagger, who turned 18 in February, has risen from No. 566 in the world at this time last year to No. 117. In her third time in a WTA main draw, she knocked off her first opponent who had been in the top 10.

The 28-year-old Badosa, a former World No. 2 (2022 )who is currently No. 102, went out in two hours, 7 minutes. Tagger saved seven of 11 break points to 6 of 11 for Badosa, who had more double faults (5-2).

Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine knocked off seventh-seeded Ann Li 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in another tight contest. Yastremska was 5 of 8 on break-point opportunities, to 4 of 11 for Li, who had more aces (6-0).

Fifth-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania ousted Sinja Kraus of the home country 6-3, 6-3, while sixth-seeded Jaqueline Cristian of Romania won the first set before being eliminated by Germany's Tamara Korpatsch 6-4, 1-6, 4-6.

Other winners were Croatia's Donna Vekic and the Philippines' Alexandra Eala. Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic faced Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus later on Tuesday.

--Field Level Media