Eighteen-year-old Austrian Lilli Tagger marked a breakthrough moment in her young career on Sunday, fighting back from an early deficit to defeat Ukraine’s Daria Snigur 7-6(3), 6-2 and claim her first WTA Tour singles title at the Livesport Prague Open.
The match lasted 1 hour and 29 minutes, and was a strong test of nerve for the teenager in her first tour-level final. Snigur, the No. 8 seed and a player competing in her own maiden WTA singles final, broke early and built a 5-2 lead in the opening set. Tagger, however, found her rhythm at the right time. She won three straight games to level at 5-5, then dominated the tiebreak 7-3 to seize the set.
Momentum stayed firmly with the Austrian in the second set. She broke serve to move ahead 3-1 and never looked back, converting another break later to close out the 6-2 victory. Tagger finished with nine aces and converted three of seven break-point opportunities. Snigur managed just one ace, committed seven double faults, and converted only one of two break chances.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe win completed a stellar tournament for Tagger, who dropped only one set across five matches. She defeated three seeded players along the way, including No. 3 seed Sara Bejlek and No. 2 seed Barbora Krejcikova. The semifinal against home favourite and two-time Grand Slam champion Krejcikova was particularly dramatic, and potentially draining, with Tagger recovering from a set down to win 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(4).
But Tagger now becomes the first Austrian to lift the Prague title and only the second teenager to win a WTA singles crown in 2026, following Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva. She is also the first player born in 2008 to capture a tour-level title. Ranked outside the Top 500 at this time last year, Tagger entered the event as the lowest-ranked player ever to win the Prague title. She is currently the youngest player inside the WTA Top 100 and is projected to climb into the Top 50 for the first time when the rankings are updated, rising 29 places to a career-high mark.
Tagger’s aggressive baseline game proved the key throughout the week. She was able to dictate rallies with her heavy serve and powerful forehand, while her aesthetically beautiful one-handed backhand produced plenty of highlights. After the final she spoke fondly of the crowd and thanked those closest to her.
“It was an amazing week. The atmosphere was just incredible,” Tagger told fans. “Without you this stadium wouldn’t have all this energy so thank you for coming out all week and cheering for us.“
“Today is quite a special day because my family is here. Normally, they watch every match at home, but today they came to watch. Thank you very much. I think everything I’ve accomplished in life would not be possible with you.”
She also credited her coach, 2010 Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone, for the guidance that helped her through the pressure of a first final.
Snigur’s run to the final represented a career step forward as well. The 24-year-old Ukrainian is set to reach a new high of No. 43 in the live rankings after a week in which she dropped only one set before the final.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe result further underlines the depth of talent on the women’s tour. With Andreeva already a major champion and Tagger now a title winner at the same age, the next generation is really starting to make its presence felt. For the Austrian, the focus will quickly move on to the next event, but hopefully she can take a few days to appreciate just what a great achievement winning a first WTA final at just 18 years of age is.
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