Lilli Tagger, 18, avenges Valentová defeat to reach Osaka quarter-finals

Austria's Lilli Tagger is through to the quarter-finals of the WTA 250 event in Osaka. The 18-year-old beat Czech Tereza Valentová in straight sets in the round of 16, avenging her only previous loss to her. According to Austrian outlet heute, it is the fourth WTA quarter-final of Tagger's career.

A first-set comeback

Tagger had to come from behind. She was broken early and trailed 1-2 in the first set, and she spent much of the set chasing. She got back on serve at 3-3, then broke Valentová again at 6-5 to take the set. In the second set the Austrian played more aggressively, went 4-1 up and kept that lead to the finish. The match lasted one hour and 47 minutes.

"I knew beforehand how difficult the task was," Tagger said afterwards, according to tennisnet. "Against a player in the same age group who also wants to rise quickly, it's quite special."

The win reversed the result of their only previous meeting. In the spring, Valentová won 7-5, 7-5 on clay at the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo, in a match that went to 152 minutes. This time Tagger, ranked No. 57, won on hard courts in Japan against the world No. 88.

Back in form after a difficult spell

Osaka has been a timely turnaround for the teenager. Before this week she had lost three matches in a row, according to laola1. She ended that run in the first round by beating fifth seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-3 in 73 minutes. Tagger did not face a single break point in that match.

This has been her breakthrough year. Tagger is coached by former Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone and won the girls' singles title at the 2025 French Open. She broke into the top 100 in April after reaching the quarter-finals in Linz. She played the main draws of the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open for the first time. In July she won her first WTA title in Prague, beating Daria Snigur 7-6, 6-2 in the final to become the youngest Austrian to win a title at that level. Later that month she reached a career-high ranking of No. 45. Her one-handed backhand, now rare in the women's game, is the shot she is best known for.

Zheng Qinwen ends her 2026 season, pulling out of Hong Kong

Top seed Li could be next

Tagger's quarter-final opponent will be either top seed Ann Li of the United States or Zeynep Sönmez of Türkiye. Austrian reports say the match is scheduled for Thursday.

Fellow Austrian Sinja Kraus is out. She lost her round-of-16 match to fourth seed Talia Gibson 6-2, 6-1. Gibson, 22, took the first three games of both sets and won on her first match point after 72 minutes.

A win on Thursday would put Tagger in the semi-finals, two rounds from a second WTA title after Prague.