Hot Shots

Vote: What was the best shot of the week in Linz?

Author: Brad Kallet
Hot Shots
3m read 10 Apr 2026 3h ago
lilli tagger linz 2026

Summary

We've rounded up the five best shots from the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. Which do you think was the best? Check them out and vote for your favorite below.

highlights

Ruse upsets Ostapenko in Linz to reach first WTA 500 semifinal

03:00
Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Linz 2026

After a week in North and South America, the Clay-Court swing moved across the ocean, to Europe, for the Upper Austria Ladies Linz.

Though the field in Linz is thin, with just 28 players, there was no shortage of brilliant shots on the red clay.

We've rounded up the five best from the WTA 500 tournament. Check them out below, and make sure to vote for your WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz shot of the week at the bottom.

Tatjana Maria's stop volley

Trailing 4-5 in the second set, Tatjana Maria traded slices with Sloane Stephens before making her move to the net. The American fired a forehand to the middle of the court and Maria, perfectly positioned, dumped a perfect stop volley that landed a couple inches over the net and died immediately.

Stephens went on to win that set in a tiebreaker, and then the decider for the 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win, her first Top 100 win in two years.

Hot shot: Tatjana Maria's stop volley drops like a stone in Linz

Lilli Tagger's one-handed backhands

OK, this is a 3-for-1 ... but we couldn't include just one. 18-year-old Lilli Tagger thrilled the home fans in her first-round win over Paula Badosa, especially when she won points with her one-handed backhand.

Two of those one-handed winners down the line came in clutch moments -- first to go up triple break point at 4-all in the first, and later to break for 6-5 in the second set.

The third beauty came in the second game of the second set, this time a crosscourt bullet that landed just inside the line.

In just her third career WTA main draw, Tagger ended up beating the former World No. 2 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Hot shots: Tagger's three best one-handed backhands in the Linz first round

Mirra Andreeva's running forehand winner on the line

Mirra Andreeva has been painting lines all week in Linz, and perhaps the finest example of that was this shot against Stephens in her opening match.

Targeting Stephens' backhand in the corner, Andreeva decided to come to the net and, as the former US Open champion inched over to the middle of the court, Andreeva pounded a forehand back into the corner, landing right on the line.

Andreeva went on to win comfortably 6-4, 6-2.

Karolina Pliskova's one-handed backhand drop shot

Karolina Pliskova is turning back the clock this week, and she's doing it with finesse. Returning against second-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, she pulled the string from behind the baseline, cooly hitting a one-handed backhand drop shot that landed just over the net. 

Pliskova pulled off the upset 6-1, 6-3, her first Top 20 win in nearly two years.

Anastasia Potapova's backhand winner down the line

Tagger hasn't been the only Austrian capturing the crowd at Design Center Linz this week. Anastasia Potapova, now representing Austria, has given the fans someone else to get behind, and they certainly enjoyed shots like this: a spectacular backhand winner down the line (very Tagger-like, except with two hands).

Potapova rolled past Tamara Korpatsch 6-2, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.

 

Summary

We've rounded up the five best shots from the Upper Austria Ladies Linz. Which do you think was the best? Check them out and vote for your favorite below.

highlights

Ruse upsets Ostapenko in Linz to reach first WTA 500 semifinal

03:00
Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Linz 2026