Lilli Tagger falls in Osaka singles but remains in doubles draw

Lilli Tagger saw her singles run at the WTA-250 tournament in Osaka end in the quarterfinals Friday, falling 4:6, 6:3, 6:7 (0) to top-seeded American Ann Li after saving three matchballs in a grueling battle, Kurier reported.

How Lilli Tagger Forced a Deciding Third Set Against Ann Li

The 18-year-old Austrian entered the quarterfinals as the world number 57 but dropped the opening set 4:6 after surrendering a crucial break to 1:2 in the early exchanges, according to sport.ORF.AT. Tagger regrouped in the second frame by breaking Li immediately for a 2:0 lead and maintaining that advantage across 70 minutes to level the match. Both players held serve through a tense third set until the pressure mounted in the closing games, where sport.ORF.AT noted that Li faved a break point at 4:4 before Tagger erased a match point on her own serve at 4:5.

Ann Li vs. Lilli Tagger | 2026 Osaka Quarterfinals | WTA Match Highlights

The Tiebreak Collapse and Match Statistics in Osaka

Tagger rescued two additional match points when trailing 5:6 on serve in the deciding set, pushing the quarterfinal into a tiebreak. Once the breaker started, however, the 26-year-old American world number 25 dominated entirely, winning seven consecutive points to take the tiebreak 7:0 and seal the victory after 2 hours and 14 minutes of play, sport.ORF.AT reported. Kleine Zeitung noted that despite the narrow defeat, the young Lienz native will climb several spots in the WTA world rankings following her performance.

Previous Wins and Ongoing Doubles Success in Japan

Before her singles exit, Tagger posted notable victories in Osaka, opening her campaign by defeating fifth-seeded Russian Ljudmila Samsonova 6:3, 6:3 before dismissing Czech player Tereza Valentova 7:5, 6:3. Tagger’s time in Japan is far from over. She remains active in the doubles draw alongside Dutch partner Isabelle Haverlag, with sport.ORF.AT confirming that the pair advanced to the semifinals after defeating Ingrid Neel and Giuliana Olmos 6:3, 7:6 (4) in the quarterfinals. Next up for Tagger and Haverlag in the battle for a spot in the final is the top-seeded tandem of Australia’s Storm Hunter and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen.