Harriet Dart beats Lilli Tagger to win first WTA title at Guangzhou Open
British qualifier Harriet Dart defeated Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger 4-6 6-3 6-4 to claim her maiden WTA Tour title.
Harriet Dart won her first WTA Tour title at the Guangzhou Open, defeating Lilli Tagger in a three-set final. The victory lifted Dart back into the top 100 at world No 83.
Key takeaways
- Harriet Dart won her maiden WTA Tour title at Guangzhou Open
- She defeated Lilli Tagger 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the final
- Dart saved three match points in her semi-final against Sun Xinran
- The win lifted her to world No 83 in the WTA rankings
- Dart is coached by former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli
Britain's Harriet Dart won her first WTA Tour title at the Guangzhou Open in China, beating Austria's Lilli Tagger 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the final on Sunday. The qualifier saved three match points in her semi-final win over Sun Xinran to reach her first Tour-level final.
Dart dropped serve in the opening game and had to save a break point in her next service game before finally getting on the board. The 30-year-old from Hampstead broke back for 4-4, but Tagger hit straight back before wrapping up the first set. The first break point of the second set came the way of Dart, who took it for 5-3 on her way to levelling the match.
In a tense deciding set, a run of five consecutive breaks of serve ended when Dart saved two break points to hold for 5-3.
In the next she brought up two championship points, but a big Tagger serve saved the first before Dart netted a mid-court forehand on the second.
Dart wiped that miss from her mind to serve out the match to 15, falling on her back in delight when victory was sealed with an unreturned serve.
Dart's victory lifted her back into the top 100 of the WTA rankings at world No 83. She is an established member of the GB Billie Jean King Cup team and has won one WTA 250 and two WTA 125 doubles titles. Dart is coached by former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli.
Dart said on court: "I'll try not to get too emotional. A big thank you to my team this week. My boyfriend Stephen [Falck], my fitness coach, but also the people at home.
My coach Marion, really appreciate all your hard work, but also my family, my parents and my sister Phoebe. It's amazing to play in front of such a big crowd. "
Dart said she hopes to be back at the Guangzhou Open next year. The ATP Paris Masters begins on November 2 on Sky Sports.
Final result at Guangzhou Open
Player | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Harriet Dart | 4-6 | 6-3 | 6-4 |
Lilli Tagger | 6-4 | 3-6 | 4-6 |
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