Tagger and Williams match sets WTA record for age gap — Interia Sport

In Guangzhou, China, 18-year-old Austrian tennis player Lilli Tagger defeated 46-year-old American Venus Williams 6:2, 6:2 in the first round of a WTA 250 tournament. In the next round of the Guangzhou Open, Tagger will play Polish tennis player Magda Linette, who earlier beat Anastasia Zakharova 7:6 (6), 6:4.

Record age gap

As Interia Sport reports, the age difference between the match participants was 28 years, making it the largest in WTA Tour history. Tagger was born in 2008 — the same year Williams won the last of her seven Grand Slam singles titles by triumphing at Wimbledon.

Austrian's advantage

The match lasted just over an hour. Tagger played aggressively with her forehand and one-handed backhand, recording 29 winners compared with seven for Williams. The American had no break points, while the Austrian regularly broke her opponent's serve.

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For Williams, this was her first singles match in two months after the US Open, where she lost to Sofia Kenin in the first round. According to the outlet, the American, ranked 599th, suffered her 17th consecutive singles defeat since July last year.

Linette and Tagger have not previously met in WTA Tour matches.