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.
Mayar Sherif is a WTA champion for the second time. The Egyptian picked up the Iași Open title on Sunday after Paula Badosa was forced to retire in the second set of a rain-delayed final in Romania.
How Mayar Sherif Took Control of the Iași Open Final
Sherif set the tone early, trading service breaks with Badosa before pulling ahead with a crucial seventh-game break to pocket the first set 6-4. She only grew sharper from there, opening up a 4-0 gap in the second before Badosa called it quits just over an hour into the match.
The WTA 250 trophy is the latest in a dominant clay-court stretch for Sherif. She hasn't lost on the surface in 15 matches, a run fueled by consecutive WTA 125 wins in Brescia and Contrexeville. Her last tour-level title came at Parma in 2022, and she now leads Badosa 2-1 in their head-to-head.
Sherif and Paula Badosa Climb WTA Rankings After Iași Open
The result shook up the latest WTA scores and rankings for both players. Sherif jumped 24 spots to No. 73, and Badosa still gained 22 places to reach No. 93 despite the early exit. The loss ended Badosa's nine-match winning run, but the former world No. 2 heads into the second-half of summer with renewed momentum.
For Sherif, though, the title is proof that few players on tour can match her on clay right now.
Tatjana Maria advanced to the 2026 Lexus Eastbourne Open final on Friday, after Jelena Ostapenko retired from the pair's semifinal match due to illness.
The 38-year-old German led 6-1, 1-2 when Ostapenko withdrew, citing a bout of heat stroke earlier this week.
Tatjana Maria Outplays Jenna Ostapenko Before Eastbourne Exit
Tatjana Maria controlled the match from the opening game, saving five break points before building a 3-0 lead in the first set. Her tactical slicing and precise court movement kept Jenna Ostapenko off balance throughout.
The Latvian committed 20 unforced errors compared to just three from Maria, before a medical timeout at 4-1 made clear the world No. 35 was struggling physically.
After Maria took the first set, Ostapenko broke early in the second. But Maria fought back before a rain delay interrupted play. Ostapenko did not return to court once the weather cleared up.
The result makes Maria the oldest finalist in Eastbourne Open history. She is also making her main draw debut this year, after previously bowing out during the 2025 tournament's qualifiers.
Ranked No. 112, the grass-court specialist has already knocked off No. 14 Jasmine Paolini and Tereza Valentova during her path to the Eastbourne Open final. She'll next face two-time winner Madison Keys in this weekend's title match.
Madison Keys made quick work of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round of the 2026 Lexus Eastbourne Open on Wednesday. The world No. 27 needed just 53 minutes to close out the 6-0, 6-1 win on the English grass-court.
Madison Keys Quickly Overpowers Eastbourne Open Opponant
Madison Keys controlled play from the baseline throughout, pairing deep groundstrokes with sharp placement that left the 48th-ranked Spaniard scrambling. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro had entered with momentum after wins over Katie Volynets and Himeno Sakatsume, but she had no answer for Keys's shot strength.
The result continues an impressive grass-court stretch for Keys.
She opened her season on the surface in Berlin last week, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula. Now in her sixth appearance at Devonshire Park, the 2025 Australian Open winner is chasing a third Eastbourne title after victories in 2014 and 2023. Her 54-20 career record on grass backs up that ambition.
Beyond the surface, Keys has stayed consistent across the 2026 WTA season, reaching a clay-court final in May alongside multiple hard-court quarterfinals earlier in the year.
By finishing this match so quickly, she saved energy for the later rounds as she pursues another WTA trophy and sharpens her grass-court game ahead of next week's 2026 Wimbledon Grand Slam.
Emma Navarro reached the 2026 Nottingham Open quarterfinals with her second three-set comeback of the week. The world No. 25 beat Ukraine's Yulia Starodubtseva 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 in a tough battle on Wednesday.
Navarro Clinches Gritty WTA 250 Event Win in Nottingham
The US star trailed 3-1 in the deciding set but took five of the next six games to close it out. She credited a point-by-point approach during those tense final frames.
"In that position you just want to think about one point at a time," she said. "It’s not recovering the whole set or how you’re going to win the match. Just get to 15, then to 30, then to 40 and see what happens. I did that pretty well."
It marked a familiar pattern for Navarro. Just two days earlier, she rallied from a set down to beat Anna Bondar in three.
"I feel pretty good. It’s always a work in progress; everything is," Navarro said of her grass-court season so far. "I’m enjoying the process of trying to get better and I feel good about what I’m doing, and I’m enjoying myself too."
The composure she showed against Starodubtseva is nothing new for WTA fans who follow Navarro closely. She reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2024 after knocking out Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka in consecutive rounds.
But this run carries extra weight after a two-and-a-half-month injury break slowed her early season. However, Navarro came back healthy on clay, winning the WTA 500 title in Strasbourg before shifting surfaces.
With this latest WTA 250 win at Nottingham, Navarro continues her pursuit of her first career grass-court title. She next faces Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in Friday's quarterfinal.
Alex Eala exited the 2026 Stuttgart Open in the first round on Tuesday, after a straight-sets loss to Leylah Fernandez sent her packing from Austria's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Fernandez beat Eala 6-1, 6-4 in 1 hour, 28 minutes, using her forehand to dictate rallies early and keep the 20-year-old Filipina star from settling into the match. Eala dropped the opening set quickly before finding more rhythm in the second, but Fernandez controlled the key points.
The first set laid the foundation. Fernandez won 20 of the first 26 points while repeatedly targeting Eala's backhand side and finishing points with aggressive forehand patterns. Eala struggled to hold serve early, never finding consistent length.
However, Eala responded in the second. She steadied her groundstrokes, held serve more comfortably, and pushed Fernandez into longer exchanges. Fernandez then raised her level late, breaking at 4-4 before cleanly serving out the match.
The result ends Eala's first main-draw Stuttgart Open appearance, a key clay-court stop ahead of Europe's spring swing and another chance for Eala to test herself against the sport's top-ranked players. It also follows her recent quarterfinal run at the 2026 Miami Open, where she put together one of the best results of her young career before falling short of the semifinals.
That bigger picture still matters. Eala's rise over the past year has included deep runs at WTA-level events while expectations continue to grow for the top young tennis prospect.
Alex Eala Gears Up for 2026 Madrid Open After Stuttgart Open Exit
While her Stuttgart Open run ended earlier than expected, Alex Eala will look to bounce back at the 2026 Madrid Open, where she's set to play her first WTA 1000 clay event of the season.
The Madrid Open kicks off on April 21st, giving Eala another chance to build momentum as she continues adjusting through the WTA's spring swing.
Peyton Stearns defeated Taylor Townsend 7-6(8), 7-5 on Sunday to win the 2026 ATX Open in Austin, with the University of Texas product capturing her second-career WTA singles title in the two-hour, 22-minute final.
Stearns, currently ranked No. 53, overcame early deficits against the world No. 87, with the left-hander leading for almost the entire first set while holding two set points on Stearns's serve at 5-3. However, Stearns saved both opportunities to stay alive.
Townsend also earned a set point in the tiebreak, before Stearns fought back to eventually win the set on her fifth opportunity at 8-8 in the breaker.
The second set saw Townsend twice erase break deficits, standing two points from forcing a deciding set. Instead, Stearns held serve from 40-0 down at 5-5 after her fellow US star pushed the game to deuce. That crucial hold sparked a three-game run that sealed Stearns's title.
The loss marked Townsend's first WTA singles final appearance after winning the 2024 Wimbledon doubles title alongside Barbora Krejcikova in 2024.
Meanwhile, Stearns reached her first tour-level singles final in nearly two years, with the 2022 NCAA champion last contesting a final at the 2024 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem. The 24-year-old fought through adversity all tournament, losing the opening set of her first Austin match and winning three consecutive three-setters before the final.
Taylor Townsend went on to secure Sunday's ATX Open doubles title alongside Storm Hunter, as the top seeds defeated Eudice Chong and Liang En-shuo 6-3, 6-4.
Tennis icon Venus Williams fell to Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of the ATX Open on Tuesday, extending the wild card entry's 2026 winless streak.
Williams started strong against Tomljanovic, as the 45-year-old broke serve immediately and raced to a 2-0 lead. She went on to deliver vintage winners, capitalizing on consecutive Tomljanovic double faults.
However, Williams could not maintain her momentum. Tomljanovic rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the first set before Williams held two points to hold serve for 4-2 but failed to convert. She then held two points to level the set at 5-5, but Tomljanovic denied the US star with creative shotmaking.
Tomljanovic sealed the first set after a wildly spun slice caught the tape for a winner. The second set proved less competitive, with Tomljanovic winning two crucial multi-deuce games to take control.
The loss marked the pair's first-ever meeting. However, Tomljanovic defeated Serena Williams 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1 in the 2022 US Open, in what would become the younger Williams sister's final professional match.
Tuesday's victory completed Tomljanovic's historic sibling sweep.
"Venus and Serena tend to bring the best out in me mentally," Tomljanovic said postmatch. "Because I always think, 'What would they do in that moment?' I try to make it work for me, instead of against me."
What's next for Venus Williams after her 2026 ATX Open exit
Venus Williams entered the 2026 ATX Open as a wildcard, going on to remain winless this season with a 0-3 record across three tournaments.
After Tuesday's win, Tomljanovic advances to face No. 2 seed Iva Jovic in the Austin tournament's second round.
Top seed Jessica Pegula withdrew from the 2026 ATX Open on Monday with a left knee injury, with the defending champion exitng just days after winning her 10th career WTA title at the Dubai Championships.
The world No. 5 was scheduled to face Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova in her opening match. China's Yuan Yue subsequently replaced Pegula in the draw, with 18-year-old Iva Jovic taking over as the tournament's top seed.
"I am disappointed to not be able to defend my title in Austin," Pegula said in a statement. "I love this event and have such great memories from last year. Hopefully I can come back in the future."
The 32-year-old won five matches in five days during her Dubai title run, battling through back-to-back three-set victories at the WTA 1000 event. The WTA Tour's grueling schedule — the subject of recent controversy — may have contributed to her knee injury.
Pegula is currently riding 13-2 2026 record, with her only losses coming to Marta Kostyuk in the Brisbane semifinals and Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open semifinals. She's has now reached seven consecutive semifinals dating back to last year's US Open — the most by any player since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2016.
The US star dominated in her Austin debut last season. She dropped just one set en route to the 2025 title, after defeating McCartney Kessler 7-5, 6-2 in the final.
Discussing her durability after Dubai, Pegula noted that early-career injuries impacted her performances on tour. Despite the wear and tear, however, she said she feels as healthy as ever.
"I'm old, you can say it," Pegula laughed. "I don't feel that old because I had so many injuries in my early 20s... I was able to mature and find my game and believe in what I needed to do through the ups and downs."
What's next for Jessica Pegula on the 2026 WTA Tour
Injury depending, Pegula will next hit the court for the 2026 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on March 5th. She'll then return to the Miami Open on March 15th, looking to better her 2025 final appearance.
Oleksandra Oliynykova reached her first-career WTA semifinal today, defeating Wang Xinyu 6-4 6-4 at the 2026 Transylvania Open. Draped in the Ukrainian flag, the 25-year-old celebrated the victory wearing temporary bat face tattoos to honor the tournament's theme.
Oliynykova saved 20 of 22 break points during the two-hour match, demonstrating the mental resilience that's defined her breakthrough season. The world No. 91 is now expected to climb 20 spots in the WTA rankings.
Oleksandra Oliynykova, a Ukranian refuge, has been making headlines for refusing handshakes with Russian and Russia-sympathizing competitors. That list includesNo. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
This week, she announced she wouldn't participate in the traditional prematch photo or postmatch handshake with Hungary's Anna Bondar. Her reasoning? Bondar's participation in the 2022 North Palmyra Trophies tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia. Oliynykova subsequently called funder Gazprom a financial pillar of Russia's war machine, saying she would reconsider if Bondar apologized to Ukraine's people.
The victory carried deep significance for Oliynykova, who fled Ukraine with her family in 2011 after her father criticized then-President Viktor Yanukovych. She then returned following the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, and currently trains in Kyiv despite the ongoing Russian invasion.
Nicknamed "Sashka," Oliynykova is on a tear. She recently pushed defending champion Madison Keys to a first-set tiebreaker in her Grand Slam debut. She now stands just two victories away from her first-ever WTA title.
How to watch Oksana Oliynykova at the 2026 Transylvania Open semifinals
Oliynykova takes on top-seeded Emma Raducanu on Friday at 10 AM ET, live on The Tennis Channel.