GB’s Harriet Dart wins maiden WTA title at 30 with Guangzhou Open triumph

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Briton beats 18-year-old Austrian Lilli Tagger 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

Dart, a qualifier, was competing in her first WTA final

Harriet Dart won her first WTA title after the Briton came from a set down to defeat Lilli Tagger in the final of the Guangzhou Open in China.

Dart, who saved three match points in her semi-final against Sun Xinran to reach her first tour‑level final, edged a thrilling match against the 18‑year‑old Austrian 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The British No 5, a qualifier for the tournament, dropped serve in the opening game and had to save a break point in her next service game before finally getting on the board against the fourth seed. The 30‑year‑old from Hampstead broke back for 4-4 but Tagger, who won the 2025 junior French Open, hit straight back before wrapping up the first set.

Dart took the first break point of the second set for 5-3 on her way to levelling the match.

In a tense deciding set, a run of five consecutive breaks of serve ended when a gutsy Dart saved two break points to hold for 5-3. In the next game she brought up two champion­ship points, but a big serve from ­Tagger saved the first before Dart hit a mid‑court forehand into the net on the second.

However, Dart wiped that miss from her mind to serve out the match to 15, falling on her back in delight when victory was sealed with an unreturned serve.

Dart, who has been working with the former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, said on court: “I’ll try not to get too emotional. A big thank you to my team this week. It’s ­amazing to play in front of such a big crowd. It’s been so much fun here and I really appreciate it and hope to be back next year.

“This week shows that even when I’m down – and people think I’m down and out – I’m still able to overcome it. Today was a really tough match. I have no doubt Lilli will go on and win multiple titles. To come through a week like this means a lot.”

Dart’s victory will lift her back into the top 100 and secures direct entry into the Australian Open in January. The British player has won 19 of her 24 tour-level matches on the hard courts since Wimbledon, taking her overall record on the tour this season to 23 victories from 34 matches – the highest winning percentage of her career.