Lilli Tagger and Mia Pohankova, 17, are playing at the same time at the start of their professional careers.
Pohankova won her first ITF title last October in her native Slovakia. Austrian Tagger followed suit shortly after, winning her first professional title in Spain last April. In the final, she beat future star Lois Boisson.
Tagger continued her dominance on clay by winning the 2025 French Open women’s singles title, going from unseeded to champion without dropping a set. A month later, Pohankova matched the feat at Wimbledon, also winning the girls’ singles crown despite being unseeded.
So it’s no surprise that after making their first WTA main draw appearances this week via wild card – Tagger in Jiujiang and Pohankova in Chennai – they each scored first-round victories in their WTA debuts.
Tagger beat China’s Zhu Chenting on Tuesday, while Pohankova ousted former Top 100 player Nao Hibino to reach the second round in Chennai. They join this year’s Australian Open women’s singles champion Wakana Sonobe in accomplishing the feat, after Sonobe won on her debut earlier this year in Abu Dhabi.
Tagger did better on Wednesday, upsetting world No. 89 Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets for her first Top 100 victory.
“It was an incredible match,” Tagger said afterward. “I had a lot of fun there. I still can’t believe I won in the end, but I’m super happy with my performance and can’t wait for the next match. It was my first win against a top 100 player, which is amazing. It was a lot of fun playing against her.”
The victory adds to a growing list of achievements for the young Austrian, who has also gained notoriety in tennis circles for her one-handed backhand, which has drawn comparisons to that displayed by her coach, 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, during her playing days.
Tagger is one of eight women ranked in the top 300 of the PIF WTA rankings to feature a one-handed backhand.
She is 32-8 across the board this season, with three ITF titles – two at the W75 level – in addition to her Junior Grand Slam. Her two victories in Jiujiang propelled her into the top 200 in the live rankings for the first time.
Pohankova, meanwhile, has made the most of a smaller sample size on the professional circuit this season. In addition to her junior title at Wimbledon, she reached the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at Roland Garros, partnering none other than Tagger herself.
The duo fell in two hotly contested sets to future champions Eva Bennemann and Sonja Zhenikhova.
Overall, Pohankova is 8-4 across the board in 2025, with two ITF quarterfinals and two wins against top-200 opponents as she aims to return to, and then surpass, her career-best ranking of No. 394.
Rankings aside, both players are looking to build on their WTA win totals in the coming days. For now, they’ll be content to soak up the WTA Tour experience.
“The tournament is amazing,” Tagger said. “I’m really excited to have the chance to play the main draw here. I haven’t seen much of the city yet, but maybe in the next few days, when I have time, I’ll go visit it a bit.”
And who knows, maybe a first WTA title is on the horizon for one, or both.
