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Britain's Dart claims first WTA singles title in Guangzhou

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Harriet Dart rallied past Austria's Lilli Tagger with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 scoreline in the Guangzhou Open championship match. After dropping the first set, Dart secured the sole break of the second frame to level the contest at one set apiece. The players then exchanged five straight service breaks in a turbulent final set. Dart finally established control by saving two break points to hold for 5-3 before wrapping up the victory.

Key points

  • Harriet Dart secured the first WTA tour singles title of her professional career.: Harriet Dart secured the first WTA tour singles title of her professional career.
  • The British number five entered the tournament holding a world ranking of 115th.: The British number five entered the tournament holding a world ranking of 115th.
  • Dart mounted a resilient comeback after falling behind by a set early in the final.: Dart mounted a resilient comeback after falling behind by a set early in the final.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Nov 1 : Harriet Dart clinched the first WTA tour singles title of her career after battling back to beat Austrian Lilli Tagger 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the Guangzhou Open final on Sunday.

• The British number five, ranked 115th in the world and coached by former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, overcame a sluggish start after being broken in the opening game

• Dart recovered to draw level at 4-4 in the first set but Tagger immediately broke again and served out the opener

• The first break point of the second set went to Dart, who took it for 5-3 and then levelled the match, setting up a deciding set

• In the final set, momentum swung repeatedly as the pair traded five consecutive breaks of serve. Dart finally steadied by saving two break points to hold for 5-3 and closed out the match to secure the title

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