Lilli Tagger rallied from a set down to claim her first WTA Tour singles title at the 2026 Prague Open on Sunday. The 18-year-old Austrian defeated Ukraine's Daria Snigur 7-6(3), 6-2 at the WTA 250 event, capping a breakthrough week.
How Lilli Tagger Rallied to Win the 2026 WTA Prague Open
Tagger trailed 5-2 in the opening set before finding her rhythm. From there, she reeled off three straight games to level at 5-5, then took the tiebreaker 7-3. She carried that momentum into the second set, breaking early and never looking back.
Along the way, Tagger knocked off three seeded opponents, including No. 2 seed Barbora Krejcikova and No. 3 seed Sara Bejlek. She finished the final with nine aces and converted three of seven break points.
Lilli Tagger Breaks Into Top 50 WTA Rankings
The win marks a rapid rise for the young star. Just a year ago, Tagger sat outside the Top 500 in the WTA rankings. Now, she's projected to crack the Top 50 when rankings update on Monday.
She also became the first Austrian to win the Prague title and only the second teenager to capture a WTA Tour singles title in 2026, after Mirra Andreeva.
Barbora Krejčíková rallied from a set down to defeat world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 in a second-round battle at Wimbledon 2026 that stretched nearly three hours.
The 2024 All England Club champion trailed by an early break in all three sets. But it was her variety and Grand Slam experience that proved decisive.
Barbora Krejčíková Uses Grand Slam Experience to Defeat Andreeva
Barbora Krejčíková needed seven match points to close it out, with Mirra Andreeva saving six and earning three break-back chances in the final game. None of them landed.
"It's always a huge fight to play her — such a unique young player," Krejčíková told the Centre Court crowd. "I'm extremely proud I managed to win on this beautiful Centre Court."
The result mark Krejčíková's first win over a Top 10 opponent since the 2024 WTA Finals. Respiratory illness forced her out of her most recent grass-court event before Wimbledon, making the run even less expected.
Andreeva, meanwhile, came in with a tour-leading 37 wins this season. That includes her best women's tennis result at the 2026 French Open earlier this year.
Krejčíková next faces fellow Czech hopeful Nikola Bartůňková for a spot in the second week at Wimbledon 2026.
Ekaterina Alexandrova knocked off Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-4 at the 2026 Bad Homburg Open on Wednesday. The second-round win ended the world No. 5's first competitive grass-court WTA match this season.
Mirra Andreeva Faces Tough Transition After French Open Win
Andreeva entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed after winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2026 French Open. The 19-year-old subsequently skipped the Berlin Open to rest. However, the time away raised more questions than answers, as No. 19 Alexandrova looked sharper from the start, breaking serve in the eighth game to take the opening set.
From there, the veteran pulled even further ahead.
Alexandrova opened the second set with a 4-0 run, going on to win 74% of her first-serve points throughout the match. Andreeva managed 21 winners and broke back late, but the deficit was ultimately too large to overcome.
Wimbledon Looms as Andreeva Exits WTA Bad Homburg
Despite the loss, Andreeva's attention now turns to the next WTA Grand Slam: Wimbledon. The 19-year-old reached the quarterfinals in London last year, and now have a few days to adjust before the 2026 draw begins.
Alexandrova, meanwhile, advances in Germany while adding a quality grass-court result to her season. She'll next face an in-form Naomi Osaka, after the Japanese fan favorite dispatched Elise Mertens earlier in the week.
The pair's first meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, live on The Tennis Channel.
World No. 6 Mirra Andreeva is on the board, lifting her first Grand Slam trophy after Saturday’s straight-set 2026 French Open win over qualifier Maja Chwalińska.
The 19-year-old became the tournament’s youngest women’s singles champion since Monica Seles in 1992, and the first Russian woman to win Roland Garros since Maria Sharapova in 2014.
“I’ve had a lot of thoughts on how it’s going to happen, if it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen,” Andreeva said. “The feeling in real life is so much better.”
After bursting onto the scene at 15, Andreeva’s first major title marks a highly anticipated milestone.
“I’m just happy I kept my focus, kept my composure,” she said, thanking her sports psychologist for her mental strides.
Up Next for French Open 2026 Winner Mirra Andreeva
Andreeva now shifts focus to the WTA's next Grand Slam, hitting the grass courts of Wimbledon starting June 29th, live on ESPN.
Mirra Andreeva is headed to her first Grand Slam final. The 19-year-old world No. 8 defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 in the 2026 Roland Garros semifinals on Thursday in just 76 minutes.
Kostyuk entered the French Open semifinal riding a 17-match clay court winning streak.
However, her campaign ended with Andreeva, who had lost to Kostyuk in straight sets at both the Brisbane quarterfinals in January and the Madrid final in April. This time, though, she flipped the result.
Andreeva vs. Kostyuk Semifinal: Unforced Errors Earn Teen the Win
Kostyuk dropped serve in the opening game after two double faults and a backhand into the net. Andreeva also faced trouble early, fighting off three break points in her first service game.
But the teenager held her nerve and pulled away, turning a 4-0 lead into a 6-1 first set.
Kostyuk steadied briefly in the second set, breaking to get within 4-3. But an uncharacteristic 34 unforced errors throughout the match helped Andreeva stay on top.
The Ukrainian star dedicated her surprising 2026 French Open run to her country after her family faced a Russian missile scare earlier in the tournament.
Andreeva, meanwhile, is now the third-youngest women's tennis player to reach the Roland Garros final since 2000.
She came into the tournament with 20 clay court wins in 2026 — more than any other semifinalist. Through six rounds in Paris, she lost only one set, giving up just 32 games.
With her win against Kostyuk, Andreeva said she's feeling more focused.
"I'm getting older, a little bit more mature every match I play, a little bit more experience," she said postmatch. "I think that now I'm able to approach every match differently and try to really focus on the opponent that I'm gonna play against."
2026 French Open Sets Up Andreeva vs Chwalińska Final
Mirra Andreeva will face Maja Chwalińska in the 2026 French Open final, after the Polish qualifier upset No. 25 Diana Shnaider in Thursday's other semifinal.
The championship match takes place on Saturday, live on TNT.
World No. 8 Mirra Andreeva advanced to the 2026 French Open semifinals with a straight-sets win over No. 18 Sorana Cîrstea on Tuesday. The 19-year-old won the match in just 56 minutes, defeating the Romanian veteran to secure her spot in the final four at Roland Garros.
Mirra Andreeva Takes Early Lead Over Sorana Cîrstea
Andreeva controlled the pace early under the closed roof of Court Philippe Chatrier, winning the opening set without dropping a game.
Losing only nine points in the first six games, the teenage star denied Cîrstea any opportunities to break back and wrapped the first set 6-0 behind consistent baseline play. However Cîrstea changed her strategy to begin the second set.
The 36-year-old broke early, holding her serve to level the score at 3-3 before Andreeva quickly regained momentum. She subsequently raised her intensity, won 12 of the final 14 points against Cîrstea, and closed out the Roland Garros match 6-0, 6-3.
The post-game stats highlighted Andreeva's efficiency.
She hit 18 winners during the match, while Cîrstea finished with just four. Andreeva also converted all six of her break point opportunities.
"I honestly didn't expect that myself," Andreeva said in her postmatch press conference. "I just found myself being very, very focused, very aggressive, going for my shots all the time. Sorana is, as I said, a very tough opponent to play against, so I'm just happy about the win today."
Andreeva Meets Marta Kostyuk in 2026 French Open Semifinal
With this latest showing at Roland Garros, Andreeva secured her 20th clay-court win of the season.
She now moves into her second career Grand Slam semifinal, battling No. 15 Marta Kostyuk for a spot in the 2026 French Open final.
Mirra Andreeva is heading to the Madrid Open 2026 semifinals after passing one of her toughest tests of the tournaments against Leylah Fernandez.
Andreeva earned a 7-6(1), 6-3 quarterfinal win on Tuesday, saving three set points in the opening set to improve to 2-1 in the pair's all-time head-to-head record.
The win also sends the world No. 8 into her first Madrid Open semifinal — one day before her 19th birthday.
"I'm extremely happy about the way I played and the result," Andreeva said. "It wouldn't be a perfect birthday if I would lose today. I really didn't want that to happen, and I was trying to give everything I had to be in a good mood tomorrow."
After needing all three sets to get past Hungary's Anna Bondar on Monday, Andreeva appeared more in control during her quarterfinal.
Fernandez pushed Andreeva hard in the first set and had three chances to take it. However, Andreeva held firm, dominated the tiebreak before taking control in the second.
Afterward, she discussed improvements she's made since first turning pro in 2022.
"I feel like I'm still the same Mirra," she said, joking that the biggest difference might be appreciating more alone time.
"Now all I want to do is come back to the room and be alone," she said. "Other than that, I feel like I'm still the same Mirra."
However, her growth on court has been obvious.
This marks Andreeva's first Madrid Open semifinal, indicating how quickly she's developing into a major tournament threat.
How to Watch Mirra Andreeva at the 2026 Madrid Open
Andreeva now advances to face either world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or No. 32 Hailey Baptiste in Thursday's semifinals.
2026 Madrid Open coverage continues through May 2nd, live on The Tennis Channel.
The 2026 Indian Wells Open is shifting into high gear, as tennis's biggest names look to boost their WTA rankings on the hard court ahead of May's French Open.
World No. 16 Naomi Osaka has excelled at this year's BNP Paribas Open, battling her way to a Round of 16 showdown with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday — just the pair's second competitive meeting after Osaka ousted Sabalenka en route to the 2018 US Open title.
"She's a great player," Sabalenka said of the Japanese fan favorite. "Came back after pregnancy. Incredible shape. I have been watching her matches, really admire her."
On the other hand, the tournament lost some star power this week, as No. 4 Coco Gauff withdrew from Sunday's matchup with rising star No. 32 Alexandra Eala citing a forearm injury — her second-career mid-match exit.
"Based off the feeling, being told that it's probably something nerve-related," Gauff said afterwards. "Never had anything like this before, never felt anything, a sensation like this before."
The majority of tennis' Top 10 players remain in the mix — including Polish phenom No. 2 Iga Świątek, Kazakh star No. 3 Elena Rybakina, and US titans No. 5 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Amanda Anisimova — with reigning Indian Wells champion No. 8 Mirra Andreeva joining Gauff as the only two WTA elites to exit early after Andreeva fell to Czechia's No. 44 Kateřina Siniaková in an emotional Round of 32 clash on Monday.
How to watch Osaka vs. Sabalenka at Indian Wells
The tournament kicks off its Round of 16 on Tuesday, with the match between No. 16 Naomi Osaka and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka leading the charge at 2 PM ET.
Live coverage of the 2026 Indian Wells Open airs on the Tennis Channel.
Defending champion Mirra Andreeva exited Indian Wells in dramatic fashion on Monday, losing to unseeded Katerina Siniakova 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-3 in a third-round clash marked by racket smashing and crowd confrontations.
Andreeva hurled her racket at the hard court after dropping the second-set tiebreaker. She then smashed the equipment multiple times, with officials issuing her a code violation for the outburst.
The fireworks didn't end there. After Siniakova clinched match point, Andreeva threw her racket again. She subsequently shook hands at the net, then stormed off the court while shouting at spectators.
Siniakova advanced with the upset victory, as the Czech player capitalized on Andreeva's unraveling to claim the win.
"I knew the pressure was on her. I was trying to enjoy it, because finally I was on the other side when I have nothing to lose," Siniaková told The Tennis Channel.
"She's an amazing player. You need to play long rallies, you need to do it on your own."
Mirra Andreeva Addresses her Indian Wells Outburst
In her post-match press conference, the 18-year-old expressed regret for her outburst, acknowledging her behavior fell short of her standards. The teenager said she wasn't proud of how she managed her emotions during the loss.
Andreeva told reporters she needs to work on her temperament, emphasizing urgency in addressing her on-court conduct. The defending champion called it something she must fix soon rather than later.
"I'm not really proud of how I managed it. I'm not really proud of how I handled it in the end," she told reporters.
"Those are the things that really need to work on soon. I don't know. Not in the future, but whenever I get the chance."
The loss marks a disappointing run for Andreeva, after the Russian star won the prestigious California tournament last year. Her exit leaves the draw wide open for a new Indian Wells champion.
Tennis's elite landed in California this week, as the 2026 BNP Parabas Open at Indian Wells hardcourt tournament kicked off the annual US-based Sunshine Double.
Reigning champion Mirra Andreeva is back to defend her 2025 Indian Wells title, with the world No. 8 joined by the rest of the WTA's Top 10, including No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
"I'm just so excited to be here as a defending champion, to see my photos almost everywhere," said Andreeva ahead of this year's tournament. "I don't feel any pressure defending points."
Though the competition began with the Round of 128 on Wednesday, all seeded players enter in the Round of 64 — with a strong US contingent, including No. 4 Coco Gauff, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, and No. 6 Amanda Anisimova, joining the fray on Friday.
"So far, so good," Gauff said earlier this week. "The weather is great as usual, so yeah, I'm excited to go out there and play."
Though US competitors like Hailey Baptiste and Taylor Townsend survived their Round of 128 matchups, fellow US main draw contender and tennis legend Venus Williams failed to advance, falling to France's Diane Parry 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-1 on Thursday.
How to watch the 2026 BNP Parabas Open at Indian Wells
The two-day Round of 64 begins at 2 PM ET on Friday, with the annual tournament running through the championship final on Sunday, March 15th.
Live coverage of the Indian Wells Open will air on the Tennis Channel.