Lilli Tagger's sensational Jiujiang run wasn't capped off with the title after the 17-year-old Swiss wildcard suffered a 3-6 3-6 defeat to experienced Anna Blinkova in the final.
The rising Swiss star, who started the week ranked at No. 235 in the world and stunningly made the final of the WTA 250 tournament in Jiujiang in her WTA main draw debut, felt the pressure of playing her maiden final as she lost her serve four times during the first set.
At the start of the second set, Tagger stabilized a bit on her serve as she was tied with Blinkova to three games apiece through the opening six games. But then, the 95th-ranked Russian claimed a key break in the eighth game for a 5-3 lead before serving out for the title in the following game.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was the first meeting between the two.
For Blinkova, it was her second WTA title - the 27-year-old Russian lifted her first title in Cluj-Napoca in 2022.
Tagger showed her appreciation for her coach Francesca Schiavone
Tagger is coached by a well-known WTA name - 2010 French Open champion Schiavone. And after her big Jiujiang run, the 17-year-old made sure to show some appreciation for the Italian tennis legend.
"We made such an amazing year. We're working very hard. I want to thank you for being every day by my side," the Swiss told her coach.
Following her runner-up finish in Jiujiang, Tagger will improve 80 spots on the updated WTA rankings list and achieve a career-high ranking of No. 155 on Monday.
