Lilli Tagger loses marathon match in Cincinnati WTA 1000

Lilli Tagger, the 18-year-old Austrian player, was eliminated in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati following a marathon match against Australia's Taliba Gibson. After successfully navigating the qualifying rounds, Tagger lost the hard-court match in 2 hours and 36 minutes with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 5-7.

Tagger took the first set after a crucial break at 4-3, but struggled with her rhythm and serve in the second set. The deciding third set featured several breaks of serve, including a sequence where neither player could hold their service game five times in a row, before Gibson ultimately secured the victory. The loss prevented Tagger from a potential second-round matchup against world number one Aryna Sabalenka.