LINZ/WASHINGTON, April 8, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
What a moment that Lilli Tagger will always have Linz to remember by. On Tuesday, during the second day of the 35th edition of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, the 18-year-old Austrian thrilled the home crowd that filled the cozy indoor Center Court at Design Center Linz to witness her first tour-level clay victory.
The 117th-ranked Tagger, who received a wild card entry into the main draw of the WTA 500 event, scored a 6-4, 7-6 (5) triumph over former World No. 2 Paula Badosa of Spain to advance to the second round against World No. 21 and third seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia. It was Tagger’s third tour-level win in 2026.
Delivering in Linz! 😤👏😤
Lilli Tagger defeats Badosa in straight sets and moves on in Linz! #WTALinz pic.twitter.com/vMAIhH7AWR
— wta (@WTA) April 7, 2026
During the two-hour, seven-minute first-round match, Tagger overcame 32 unforced errors by hitting 27 winners and won 63 percent (38 of 60) of her first-serve points. She saved seven of 11 break points she faced from Badosa and broke her opponent’s serve five times in 11 opportunities. Badosa finished with 17 winners but was undone by 38 unforced errors, including on match point during the second-set tie-break.
While the 102nd-ranked Badosa fought to the end, Tagger proved to be the better player despite being an underdog to the more-experienced 28-year-old Spaniard. She outpointed Badosa 87-77.
TAGGER ATTACK 😮💨
Lilli Tagger is bringing the 🔥 to the court in Linz. #WTALinz pic.twitter.com/mNZGUD22rB
— wta (@WTA) April 7, 2026
Upon securing match point during the second-set tie-break, after trailing 5-4, Tagger, a native of Lienz, Austria, raised her arms in celebration. It was her first career victory over an opponent who has been ranked in the WTA Top 10. The East Tyrolean beamed a big smile as she raced to the net to shake hands and share a hug with the fallen Badosa. Tagger, the youngest player in the Linz draw, received a standing ovation from the Austrian fans, which included her parents, Stephan and Sabine; her older siblings, Emma and Ben; and her coach, Francesca Schiavone, the 2010 Roland-Garros champion and a former WTA star who was known for her one-handed backhand style.
“It was an amazing match,” Tagger said during her on-court interview with Barbara Schett. “Honestly, I was a bit tight at the end. But, of course with [the fans] helping me on the court, it was amazing. The atmosphere was incredible. …
“Of course, it’s never easy but when there are close points, important points, I try to keep going with the process; I try to play my game. It’s not all the time very easy, but it works so I try to do it.”
Lilli Tagger (photo: GEPA pictures/Alexander Solc)
Tagger, whose classic one-handed backhand shows maturity for her age, is appearing in just her third career WTA main draw this week in Linz – and first at WTA 500-level. Her debut last October in Jiujiang, China saw her go all the way to the final. Last month, as a wild card at the Miami Open, she saved a match point against Ella Seidel of Germany, to garner her first WTA 1000 victory.
A year ago, Tagger was ranked No. 566 in the WTA Rankings. However, she culminated an outstanding junior career by winning the Roland-Garros girls’ title and was ranked No. 1, then went on to compile a 34-9 win-loss record across all competitions and was ranked No. 153 by the end of 2025. Now, she’s improved her ranking by 413 spots in the past 12 months – is 3-2 in main-draw matches this season (15-5 in all competitions) – and looks ready to crack the WTA Top 100 after reaching a career-high No. 108 last month.
Around Design Center Linz
While Lilli Tagger had plenty to celebrate and gave Austrian fans a big thrill with her straight-set victory over Paula Badosa to advance, two of her fellow Austrian players weren’t as lucky and were eliminated from the main draw on Tuesday.
First, 119th-ranked wild card Sinja Kraus, 23, lost to 29th-ranked and fifth seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania, 6-3, 6-3, in an hour and 27 minutes on Center Court. The 36-year-old Cirstea, playing her final season on the WTA Tour, outpointed Kraus 68-54.
Gifting herself a win 🎁@sorana_cirstea moves past Kraus, 6-3, 6-3.#WTALinz pic.twitter.com/cWsubdePqV
— wta (@WTA) April 7, 2026
Later, No. 89 Julia Grabher, 29, lost to 46th-ranked Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, 6-4, 6-3, in one hour and 42 minutes. Eala outpointed Grabher 76-65.
Alex advances in Austria 💪
Alex Eala defeats Grabher 6-4, 6-3!
#WTALinz pic.twitter.com/wTCGzmYHkw
— wta (@WTA) April 7, 2026
The final Austrian in the main draw, No. 97 Anastasia Potapova, 25, will play her first-round match against No. 64 Zhang Shuai of China on Center Court Wednesday.
By the numbers
The Upper Austria Ladies Linz top seed is World No. 10 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, who is making her Linz debut. She plays 552nd-ranked American wild card Sloane Stephens in her opening-round match Wednesday. The No. 2 seed is 2025 Linz champion Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, who is ranked 13th, and will open against No. 258 Karolina Pliskova of Czechia on Thursday.
“Quotable …”
“I think I kept the intensity well throughout the entire match. She’s a very intense player, who has very good touch. I’m really happy with the win. … I’m really happy with how they have welcomed me and welcomed the Filipinos. I’m very thankful for the hospitality. I hope to discover the culture more and have some fun on the court.”
– No. 46 Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, during her on-court interview, after defeating No. 89 Julia Grabher of Austria, 6-4, 6-3, on Tuesday evening.
