Harriet Dart defeats Lilli Tagger to win first WTA title

British tennis player Harriet Dart won the first WTA Tour singles title of her career on Sunday by beating 18-year-old Austrian Lilli Tagger in the Guangzhou Open final in China, BBC News and The Guardian reported. Dart, aged 30, recovered from losing the opening set to secure a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory. [1][2][3][4]

The Guardian reported that Dart dropped serve in the very first game of the match. BBC News noted that Dart twice built a lead in the deciding set, only to see Tagger erase the advantage both times, before Dart broke serve for a third time to win the match. Dart described the achievement as crazy after coming through the qualifying rounds to lift the trophy at the WTA 250 event, according to BBC News. [1][2]

To reach her first tour-level final, Dart saved three match points during her semi-final victory against Sun Xinran, The Guardian reported. Dart entered the tournament as a qualifier and is currently ranked 115th in the world as the British number five, BBC News and The Guardian both reported. [1][2]

Dart reached a career-high singles ranking of world number 70 on September 9, 2024, and reached a career-high doubles ranking of world number 59 on October 14, 2024 [7]. [7]