Ranked No. 776 at the start of 2025, Lilli Tagger has enjoyed an incredible 14-month rise.. The 18-year-old Austrian, who defeated Varvara Gracheva 6-2, 6-4 for her first career win in Tennis Paradise on Thursday, is currently up to No. 114 in the WTA live rankings. 

Get to know this rising teenager better.

She Made History at Roland-Garros in 2025

By winning the French Open girls’ singles title last year, Tagger became the first Austrian to win a Roland Garros junior singles title. She defeated Great Britain’s Hannah Klugman in the final, 6-2, 6-0.

She’s Coached By Former Grand Slam Champion Francesca Schiavone

“She passed through all of this, what I'm doing right now,” Tagger said. “So I'm very lucky, and she's very helpful. She, of course, understands the game very well and she can teach me a lot about how to use the one-handed backhand in the game, of course.”

She Switched to the One-Handed Backhand at Age 12

Tagger tells the story of her decision to change from the two-handed backhand to the one-handed backhand with a smile.

“I started with two hands,” she said. “Then I changed. I switched to one hand when I was 12. It was actually a bet with my coach. I told him, 'Okay, let's do like this: If I win the tournament while playing with the one-handed backhand, I will switch to one hand [from now on]. If I lose, I will never bother you again.'”

Tagger, naturally, won the tournament.

She Likes to Play Ice Hockey

“I'm from the mountains, so I love to ski and play some ice hockey. America just won it. So congrats to them. I play when I'm in winter and I'm at home. I play with my friends. We play on the small ice rink, 12 players, very quick.”

She Practiced With Venus Williams Before the Tournament

45-year-old Williams already had six major titles to her name when Tagger was born in 2008. It was quite a sight watching two players with 27 years between them grinding out practice points on Stadium 2 earlier this week.

“I loved it out there,” Tagger said. “Actually, my coach knows her quite well, so she went up to her, asked her if we could practice. We've already practiced before last year in Italy. Yeah, it was pretty cool. It was an amazing, amazing practice.”

She’s Not Quite Able to Process Her Remarkable Rise

From No. 776 at the start of last year to just outside the Top 100 this week, Tagger became the youngest and lowest-ranked finalist last year when she reached the final at the Jiangxi Open.

“I would never have believed to be here today. I just try to take it day by day. I love to be here and continue this journey.”

Her Mentality Has Helped Her Transition From Juniors to Pros

“I think the biggest difference is mentally, because from the strokes, from the tennis part, of course there is a difference but it's not too big,” she said. “I think it's mentally that you have to be there every point, try to fight for every point. It’s mentally to stay there every point.”

She Will Face Maria Sakkari in the Second Round

Tagger will next take on two-time runner-up Maria Sakkari. This will be her first match against a Top 50 player in her career. She admits that it is difficult not to be starstruck now that she’s sharing the locker room with so many legends of the WTA Tour.

“It's a little bit strange, because normally you see them on television, and then you come here, and you go in the locker room, and it's just — she's just beside you. But of course, it's interesting to get a little bit closer to them and see how they work, what they do to get better and try to learn from them.”