Tagger holds off Korpatsch to earn first Grand Slam main-draw win
NEW YORK -- Lilli Tagger's rapid ascent continued Monday in the Big Apple, as the 18-year-old defeated Tamara Korpatsch 6-0, 7-6 (4) in 1 hour and 56 minutes to earn her first Grand Slam main-draw win.
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"I didn't realize it too much, because it went very quick," Tagger said of her rise. "I would not have believed it one year ago or even at the start of this year that I'm already sitting here with a match won at a Grand Slam. So of course I'm happy, but the goal is to keep going."
The victory comes in her third major appearance after losing tight three-setters at Roland Garros and Wimbledon earlier this year. She is just the second player born in 2008 or later to win a Grand Slam main-draw match, joining Tyra Caterina Grant (Wimbledon 2026).
Tagger was dominant for the majority of Monday's contest, winning the first 10 games before Korpatsch finally got on the board. It marked the start of a dramatic turnaround for the German, with the next four games also going her way to give her a 5-4 lead in the second.
But Tagger held her nerve in the face of adversity, first leveling for 5-all and saving two set points to force a tiebreak, then winning the final six points from 4-1 down in the breaker to secure a straight-sets victory and improve to 3-0 against the German at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level.
She sealed it with an ace -- her third of the match.
"I think she started playing well -- she also played very well at the beginning of the second set," Tagger said. "Maybe I made some more mistakes, and she started to play a little bit better. It can happen. I think the most important (lesson) to learn from it is how fast you come out of it.
"Of course you start to think a little bit more. But I think it's normal."
Tagger's next steps
The Austrian will face defending runner-up and No. 10 seed Amanda Anisimova next in what will be her first opportunity against a Top 10 opponent. A win would send her to a first Grand Slam third round and propel her even higher in the rankings.
The key will be absorbing the American's pace, while also building off a win in which she was often the more aggressive player. She hit 24 winners and 33 unforced errors -- outpacing Korpatsch in both categories -- and rushed the net 13 times, converting 11 of those chances.
