Britain’s Harriet Dart finally has a WTA singles title to her name. The 30-year-old came through qualifying and beat 18-year-old Austrian Lilli Tagger 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a tense Guangzhou Open final to lift the first tour-level trophy of her career.
Harriet Dart (Credits: BBC Sport)
Dart, the British number five ranked 115th in the world, was overcome by emotion after sealing the biggest win of her career. She was broken back twice in the deciding set but broke a third time for 4-3, then served it out to move within one game of the title.
Harriet Dart’s Guangzhou Open Title Run Built on Resilience
The drama wasn’t over yet. Dart held two championship points on Tagger’s serve in the ninth game, dumping an inviting mid-court ball into the net on the second. She regrouped, took her third championship point with a service winner, and fell to the court in joy before celebrating with her team.
Fighting back after losing the first set has been the hallmark of Dart’s week. She did it against Tagger for the fourth time in seven matches, and it was a superb capstone to the best week of her career at a WTA 250 event.
Top 100 Return and Australian Open Main Draw Secured
The rewards go beyond the trophy. Dart will climb back inside the world’s top 100 when the new rankings are released, which sends her straight into the main draw of the Australian Open in January. Working with former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli has been credited as a big factor in her resurgence.
Dart has now won 19 of her 24 tour-level matches on hard courts since Wimbledon, giving her a 23-11 WTA record this season, the highest winning percentage of her career. At 30, with a career-high of No. 70 back in 2024, this breakthrough has arrived right on time.
Also Read: Harriet Dart Reaches First WTA Singles Final at Guangzhou Open After Saving Match Points | Harriet Dart Stuns Paula Badosa to Reach Guangzhou Open Semi-Final in 3-Set Thriller
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
