A milestone for Austria’s tennis world – Diepresse.com
The East Tyrolean impressively marches into the Paris junior finals-a rare red-white-red highlight, which stirs up hopes.
The one-handed backhand once again hit violently on the other side of the network, then Lilli Tagger stretched his hands, laughed and let himself be congratulated: the 17-year-old East Tyrolean was the first Austrian to enter the French Open junior finals. The opponent there is the British Hannah Klugman on Saturday, but it is especially Tagger who showed her march through without losing a set before this final.
Accordingly, she presents herself in Roland Garros these days: extremely present on the pitch, with a dominant serve, aggressive play area and massive basic line blows – also thanks to her body size. Often the first surcharge is up to 180 km/h fast and therefore in the area of some men’s professionals. The service is clearly one of Tagger’s strengths: variable, with a lot of kick, like to be beaten from further outside on the baseline. In general, their game is made for the red ashes of Paris. On sand, where Tagger has more time to prepare, than on the faster coverings, the one -handed backhand, an absolute rarity on the women’s tour, also unfolds its full punch.
« /> Lilli Tagger in Paris. Imago / Juergen Hasenkopf
The previous career highlight is really surprising-Tagger is 47. The junior world ranking and 508. In the WTA ranking-not with a view to the last developments in the tennis talent. Heuer, for example, had won the ITF event in Terrassa in Spanish, and in the final none of none other than Lois Boisson clearly defeated, so the 22-year-old French woman who has just written the big fairy tale of this French Open with her semi-finals at the women’s competition.
Compared to semi -final opponent Emerson Jones, the number one of the junior competition in Paris would have been favorite after the direct duels (previously 2-0), Tagger was simply the better sandplane player at 6: 4, 7: 6 (5). In fact, there would have been scope, only one of seven break chances had used it, only 53 percent of her first surcharges brought into the field and she had also brought her opponent back in the tie -break of the second set with slight mistakes.
Sinner references
The way to the Paris final led the young East Tyrolean primarily through Italy. About the academy of the well-known coach Massimo Sartori in Vicenza near Milan and Varese, where she trains at Francesca Schiavone, French Open winner from 2010. Tagger speaks Italian for a long time, the school is completing her online in Bolzano, her manager is Alex Vittur, who is also for Jannik Sinner is responsible. Tagger has already trained with number one in the world of tennis.
« /> Trainer Francesca Schiavone in Paris. Imago / Juergen Hasenkopf
Now she is the first Austrian since Tamira Paszek (US Open 2006) in the junior finals of a Grand Slam tournament. An early milestone, which was based on many a large career: Before Tagger, eight Austrians had reached the young finals in the singles at Major tournaments, including Thomas Must (finalist in Paris) and Dominic Thiem (finalist 2011 in Paris). Had the only win with the juniors so far Jürgen Melzer 1999 made in the junior-wimbledon final.
At Tamira Paszek we later went to the world rankings in 26th and twice to the quarter -finals of Wimbledon. Then it became quiet around the women’s tennis in this country, with Julia Grabher it only made an Austrian into the top 100 in the world after a seven -year dry spell. Thanks to Lilli Tagger, this red-white-red tennis world could soon look a little more hopeful.
