Sunday, July 26, 2026

Wk.29- Tag, Lilli's It

Tagger makes her move...








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*WEEK 29 CHAMPIONS*
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (WTA 250; Hard Outdoor)
S: Lilli Tagger/AUT def. Daria Snigur/UKR 7-6(3)/6-3
WD: Harriet Dart/Maia Lumsden (GBR/GBR) def. Lucie Havlickova/Laura Samson (CZE/CZE) 6-4/6-4
HAMBURG, GERMANY (WTA 250; Clay Outdoor)
S: Tamara Korpatsch/GER def. Anna Bondar/HUN 6-3/6-3
WD: Dalila Jakupovic/Nika Radisic (SLO/SLO) def. Magali Kempen/Alexandra Panova (BEL/RUS) 5-7/6-3 [10-5]
Palermo, Italy (WTA 125; Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Francesca Jones/GBR def. Fiona Ferro/FRA 6-0/4-6/7-6(6)
D: Anastasia Tikhonova/Tamara Zidansek (RUS/SLO) def. Rasheeda McAdoo/Adrienn Nagy (USA/HUN) 6-4/6-4




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lilli Tagger/AUT
...over the years decades, tennis has had a long history of a teenage "It girl" taking her position in the proverbial "on-deck" circle, celebrated as a future big-time champion until, well, they actually become one. Then they're replaced by the *next* emerging "she's got next" candidate who appears the most likely to accept and fulfill the role.

In recent years, the likes of Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva, both since crowned major champions, have held the position. With Andreeva's win this spring at RG, the spot has been held vacant until further notice, though there have been a number of candidates in the mix. A little less than a year ago, Vicky Mboko began to be prepped for such a promotion, but injuries have already served to slow her progression (unlike with the *last* Canadian teen to rapidly climb the ranks, Bianca Andreescu, Mboko didn't quickly win a slam before injuries began to consume her career bio), so the likes of Tereza Valentova, Iva Jovic and, yes, Tagger have been involved in the "next teen dream" discussion.

After we first heard the Austrian's footsteps *last* season, when she made a November run to her maiden WTA final in Jiangxi in her tour debut less than half a year after she was crowned the RG junior champion, the 18-year old has flashed potential but not yet posted a truly significant result, even while displaying a unique ability as a young pro to raise her game level to an untouchable place in the closing moments of matches (first truly noticed in that debut event when she went from triple MP down in the SF vs. Viktorija Golubic to then winning the next 13 points to close out the match).

The six-foot-one Tagger, sporting a very Sharapovian figure on court with her long limbs and power off the ground and on serve, along with a tremendous one-handed backhand to delight all the longtime tennis purists (along with Francesca Schiavone in her coaching box), came into Prague having reached just a single tour-level QF (Linz) in '26, but having claimed her biggest career title (a $100K) in January and reached a 125 final (February) ahead of her her major MD debuts at Roland Garros and Wimbledon (both 1r exits).



Though Prague is only a 250 event, leaving much room for her to create even bigger moments, the past week sure *felt* like a significant one for Tagger.

Wins over Gao Xinyu and Mai Hontama preceded an impressive final stretch, during which she handled Czechs Sara Bejlek, getting a straight sets win on her opponent's home court after losing to her 2 & 3 in Athens, and Barbora Krejcikova, ending the veteran's eight-match winning streak with a strong finish and deciding TB win to reach her second tour final.

In the title match against Daria Snigur, Tagger rallied from 5-2 down in the 1st to power her way to what felt like a fairly "easy" 7-6/6-3 win to claim her first career WTA title.

Tagger, with a 21-6 hard court mark this season (while going just 6-9 on clay/grass), will now rise to #45, becoming the youngest player in the Top 50.

Prague won't be the last title Tagger takes as her own, and they'll get (likely progressively, but who knows what's possible) bigger at each stage of her burgeoning career. Sometimes a player just *looks* like a potential star on the court, and Tagger surely resembled as much in Prague.

So... Lilli got next?


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RISERS: Daria Snigur/UKR and Anna Bondar/HUN
...Snigur's breakthrough season continued in Prague, as the 24-year old Ukrainian reached her maiden tour singles final with wins over Ella Seidel, Ayla Aksu, Lanlana Tararudee and Tereza Valentova, staging a comeback from 5-3 down in the 1st and an early break in the 2nd to win in straight sets over the Czech teenager.

After taking a 5-2 lead in the final over another teen opponent, Lilli Tagger, things didn't go so well for Snigur, though. The Austrian powered her way through Snigur the rest of the way, dropping just three of the final thirteen games.



Still, at 40-13 on the season, Snigur will climb to a new career high of #43 (she only cracked the Top 100 for the first time in late March), moving past Oleksandra Oliynykova into the UKR #3 position (and as long as she averts her eyes when a Russian player passes, she might even avoid O.O.'s future unhinged wrath).

Aside from reaching her first tour final and cracking both the Top 100 and Top 50 in 2026, this season has seen Snigur reach what was her first WTA SF in Cluj, play into her first career slam 3rd Round at Wimbledon (getting her third career Top 10 win with a upset of countrywoman Elina Svitolina), win her biggest career title (Oeiras 125 in Feb.) and maintain a admirable consistency of results throughout the schedule.

Snigur has had just one winless event in fifteen outings in '26, a qualifying loss in a $75K in March, after which she rebounded to make due by winning a $75K title in her next tournament.

Meanwhile, Bondar reached the "sweet spot" of her schedule in Hamburg, playing in the event final for a third straight season (she won the title when it was a 125 in '24, and was RU in the tour-level event last year).

It wasn't an uncomplicated road, as the Hungarian vet rallied from 3-1 down in the 3rd vs. Noma Noha Akugue (who served for the match) in the 2nd Round, then saved three MP in the 3rd set vs. Elina Avanesyan in the SF, winning a TB to reach her second tour-level final.

Bondar fell in straights to Tamara Korpatsch, but leaves counting down the days until she returns to Hamburg *next* year. Of her six career singles finals above ITF challenger level, half of them have occurred in events held in the second largest city in Germany.



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SURPRISES: Alina Charaeva/ARM and Francesca Jones/GBR
...having already won her biggest career singles final (a 125 in February) and reached her maiden tour doubles final (last week in Iasi, in her debut event representing Armenia) in 2026, Charaeva played into her first career WTA QF in Hamburg.

The 24-year old saved four MP vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo, including triple MP on the Spaniard's serve, then staged another comeback from 3-1 down in the 3rd against Sinja Kraus to reach the final eight. Charaeva fell a round later to Anna Bondar, but assured herself of reaching a new career-high ranking of #112 on Monday.



Meanwhile, Jones continued her recent roll, winning her second straight 125 title on Italian clay by following up last week's win in Rome by successfully defending last year's crown from Palermo.

It's the Brit's fourth 125 crown during the month of July in the last two years, as she rallied from 5-2 down in the deciding TB to nip Fiona Ferro in an 8-6 breaker to win a 6-0/4-6/7-6(6) final.

Jones had led 4-2 in the 3rd set, and saved a MP at 6-5 in the TB before sweeping the final three points. Ferro lost her last four serve points in the breaker.


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VETERANS: Tamara Korpatsch/GER and Barbora Krejcikova/CZE
...after escaping her 1st Round match in Hamburg when Andorran Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva lost a 6-4/3-1 lead en route to retiring early in the 3rd set, Korpatsch ran off wins over Julia Stusek, Anhelina Kalinina and Mayar Sherif (also via ret.) to reach her third career tour final.

The 31-year old defeated Anna Bondar 6-3/6-3 to claim her second WTA title (w/ Cluj '23), enabling her to leapfrog her previous career high ranking (a suprisingly-low #71) on Monday and jump from #81 all the way up to #46, making her the new GER #1 by a fairly significant margin (ahead of #79 Maria, #85 Lys, #88 Siegemund and #102 Seidel).



Krejcikova carried on her multi-month, multi-surface rise since her return in May after a three-month absence, posting a trio of wins in Prague over young countrywomen Linda Fruhvirtova, Lucie Havlickova and Dominika Salkova to add a SF finish to a recent run of results that has seen the veteran reach a 125 final on clay, the Rosmalen final and Wimbledon 4th Round on grass, and then take the title in Athens on hard court a week ago.

Battling against another young foe in 18-year old Lilli Tagger, Krejcikova gave all she had but finally ran out of gas down the final stretch aginast the impressive Austrian. The Czech had rallied from 5-3 down to win the 1st set, and came back from an early break in the 3rd, maintaining a half-step, on-serve lead over Tagger until the teenager held to force a deciding TB. There, Krejickova led 3-1 but saw the youngster -- as she has multiple times in her short time on tour -- raise her game and play lights-out tennis "through the finish line" to get the win.



Though a second straight final, which would have been her third at tour-level on Czech soil (she won Prague in '21, and Ostrava in '22), wasn't in the cards for Krejcikova, her form heading into the North American hard court summer is top notch. She's put together a 20-6 overall mark since her mid-May return, going 15-3 since the end of Roland Garros and climbing from #53 to a position back inside the Top 25 on Monday.
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COMEBACK: Elina Avanesyan/ARM
...Avanesyan opened the '25 season with a pair of SF in the first two months (in Hobart and Merida) and was a Top 40 player before spring, but a bout with mononucleosis cost her season its momentum (a 1-7 stretch over the summer) and, eventually, matches as she played just once after the U.S. Open.

The Armenian came into the week ranked at #208, but on the heels of some good lower-level results, including a 125 SF (as a LL) and $100K title run last month. Last week, Avanesyan reached the Iasi 2nd Round as a qualifier, then qualified once again in Hamburg over last weekend. She followed up with MD wins over Arantxa Rus and Yulia Putintseva, moving her beyond the 2nd Round in a tour-level event for the first time in '26.

A walkover from top-seeded Oleksandra Oliynykova advanced Avanesyan into the SF, where she gave Anna Bondar a run over 3:29 but couldn't put away the biggest points in the match, including four SP in the 1st, then three MP in the 3rd as she fell in a deciding TB.


After going 12-16 last season, Avanesyan has gone a resurgent 28-15 in '26 and will climb back inside the Top 160 on Monday.
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FRESH FACES: Tereza Valentova/CZE and Dominika Salkova/CZE
...the hoped-for (and would-have-been-fitting) all-Czech final in Prague went by the wayside when Valentova went out in the opening SF on Saturday, but the 19-year old had one of her best weeks as a pro in front of the home crowd.

After wins over Aussies Priscilla Hon and Maya Joint, Valentova knocked off countrywoman Marie Bouzkova, the #1 seed and defending champion, in a 3rd set TB. The win over the world #21 is Valentova's best this year, and matches her career-high ranked win over Elise Mertens last October in Osaka, where Valentova went on to reach her maiden tour final.




Valentova had chances in the SF to get on top of Daria Snigur and reach her second WTA final, leading 5-3 in the 1st set and holding an early break in the 2nd, but fell to the Ukrainian 7-6(4)/6-3.

Had she won, we'd have been treated in the final to a super-intriguing second Tagger/Valentova match-up this year, after the Czech won 7-5/7-5 in their maiden match-up on clay in Saint-Malo in May.

Salkova didn't reach the late stages of singles in Prague, but the 22-year old Crusher pulled out of her four-match losing streak with a two-win qualifying run (one over fellow Czech Gabriela Knutson) and a pair of MD victories over Antonia Ruzic (her second Top 50 win of the season) and Oceane Dodin.

In her first QF of the season, Salkova fell to Barbora Krejcikova, but at #121 is still knocking on the door of the Top 100. There are currently nine Czechs in the Top 100 (all in the Top 65).



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DOWN: Linda Fruhvirtova/CZE
...in a season stretch in which the Czech Collective have been churning out title winners and finalists at a rate not seen since the glory days of the Original Hordettes, Fruhvirtova hasn't been able to join the party.

The 21-year old has managed to qualify at the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year, getting a MD win in Melbourne (her first at a major since an AO 4r run in 2023), but has seen little success anywhere else in 2026. Her 1st Round loss in Prague, as a lucky loser, to Krejcikova drops her to 16-18 on the year. She's 1-7 starting with her RG 1st Round defeat, which had ended a brief spurt of success that pulled Fruhvirtova out of what had been another 1-5 skid during the spring.

If she finishes this year without a winning overall mark, it'd be Fruhvirtova third sub-.500 year in the last four, as she posted losing seasons in both 2023 and '24. Both of those seasons came after what had been a nice 15-5 finish to her '22 campaign, a run which included her becoming the first of the young Crush of Czechs to win a tour singles title (in Chennai that September).



Despite her early success, Fruhvirtova has since fallen behind quite a few of her fellow young Czechs. She's not won a title on any level since, going 0-3 in her only singles finals (all in '25 -- 2 125, 1 $50K), and came into the week ranked at #180 (she reached the Top 50 in mid-2023), making her the CZE #14.

Six of the fellow Crushers ranked above her are aged 22 or younger, including '26 title winner Sara Bejlek and reigning Wimbledon champ Linda Noskova, with three more similarly-aged compatriots within 50 spots of pushing Fruhvirtova a little deeper into the Czech pack.
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ITF WORLD TENNIS: Caroline Dolehide/USA
...after missing three months of action this spring, Dolehide was back with a vengeance in Evansville (Indiana), taking the $100K title with a 7-6/7-6 win in the final against South Korean Ku Yeon-woo.

The win is Dolehide's first singles crown since a $60K in 2023, and comes after she'd started the week on a six-match losing streak. Ranked #260, she'd fallen over 200 spots in the rankings over the past year (she was at #55 last July).



Dolehide won her third career tour-level WD title in Bogota in April alongside Irina Khromacheva.
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JUNIOR STAR: Lujza Beviz/HUN
...the 16-year old Hungarian (girls' #81) picked up her fifth '26 title in Bytom (POL), and at J300 it's the biggest of her career.

Beviz ran her winning streak to ten matches with her second straight title run, improving to 22-4 since early May, with a 6-0/6-2 victory in the final over Serbia's Dusica Popovski.

Popovski had reached the final after upseeting the #2, #3, #6 and #11 seeds before falling to #9 Beviz in what was the Serb's second straight final (the other was in Castricum, NED at the start of the month... and she lost that one to Beviz, too).


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DOUBLES: Harriet Dart/Maia Lumsden, GBR/GBR
...the Brits added a second title to their maiden tour crown on the grass in Nottingham last month, winning a MTB to take down one team of young Czech Crushers (the Kovackova sisters) in the SF and then handling another (Havlickova/Samson, who were also RU in '25) 6-4/6-4 in the final.


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WHEELCHAIR: Lizzy de Greef/NED
...while's still looking for her slam breakthrough performance (still no SF), de Greef has stepped things up considerably over the course of the season in 2026, nearly climbing into the Top 5 (#6) and posting her first career wins over Yui Kamiji and Diede de Groot.

In Hamburg, the 22-year old grabbed her third 500 level title of the season, defeating Jinte Bos and Zhu Zhenzhen ahead of a 6-2/6-2 win in the final over countrywoman Aniek Van Koot.



De Greef and Bos also won the doubles, defeating Ksenia Chasteau and Lucy Shuker in a 6-1/6-4 final that was played after the singles title match.
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1. Prague 2nd Rd. - Lanlana Tararudee def. Nikola Bartunkova
...7-6(4)/3-6/7-6(6). Tararudee shocks even herself with an epic comeback to complete her victory over Bartunkova, who seemingly has the "W" in her racket bag on multiple occasions.

It started in the 1st set, when Bartunkova rallied from 3-0 down to serve at 5-4, holding a SP. Tararudee got the break, then two games later saw the Czech save a pair of BP to force TB. Tararudee won it 7-4. But Bartunkova turned things around in front of a home crowd, racing to a 4-0 lead in the 3rd, holding a BP for 5-0. She didn't convert, but still held a 5-1 lead with a 15/40 edge on the Thai's serve in game 7.

Bartunkova held three MP in that game alone, and after Tararudee got the hold the Czech served for the match in three straight service games, at 5-2, 5-4 and 6-5. Tararudee got the match into a deciding TB, where Bartunkova turned around a 5-3 deficit to reach MP for a *fourth* time at 6-5.

Tararudee then swept the last three points to get the win.


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2. Hamburg QF - Mayar Sherif def. Paula Badosa
...7-6(4)/6-7(2)/6-4. Four days later, Sherif & Badosa go at it again after their Iasi final ended due to the Spaniard's retirement on Monday. It turned out to be a belatedly nice show.

In the 1st, Badosa erased a 4-1 deficit, saving a SP and forcing a TB eventually won by Sherif (who'd led 6-1) on SP #5. The tables were turned in the 2nd, with Sherif rallying from 4-2 down and saving a SP, then this time with Badosa taking a TB.

In the decider, Sherif led by a double-break at 4-1 before Badosa climbed all the way back to knot the score at 4-4, only to see the Egypian pull off the break-and-hold combo to close out the "W."


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3. Prague SF - Lilli Tagger def. Barbora Krejcikova
...6-7(5)/6-3/7-6(4). Another impressive performance from the 18-year old Austrian, as Tagger's one-handed backhand and ability to finish strong -- already a common thread through the early stages of her pro career -- finally stopped Krejcikova's eight-match winning streak and prevented her second career appearance in the Prague final.

Krejcikova managed to climb out of a 5-3 hold to win the 1st, but couldn't pull the 2nd set back as Tagger forced a decider. There, Krejcikova got things back on serve after an early 2-0 Tagger lead, then saved four BP to stay ahead on serve at 3-2.

But after falling behind 3-1 in the TB, Tagger roared back against her tiring opponent, breaking out of a 4-4 tie to sweep the final three points.


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4. Hamburg 2nd Rd. - Anna Bondar def. Noma Noha Akugue 6-1/3-6/7-5
Hamburg SF - Anna Bondar def. Elina Avanesyan 7-6(3)/4-6/7-6(2)
...Bondar's week included a pair of nervy escapes.

Against NNA, she rallied from 3-1 down vs. the German, who served for the match at 5-4.

But that comeback was nothing compared to the semis, where Bondar won a 3:29 marathon over Avanesyan. The Hungarian saved four SP in the 1st, two at 5-4 and two more at 6-5, before winning a 7-3 TB. In the 2nd, it was Avanesyan who rallied, erasing a double-break deficit at 3-0 by winning six straight games.

In the 3rd, Avanesyan led 3-1, and held a MP at 5-4 and two more at 6-5 (all on serve). But Bondar forced a deciding breaker, dominating the proceedings by going up 6-1 en route to a 7-2 win.
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5. Prague Final - Lilli Tagger def. Daria Snigur
...7-6(3)/6-2. Tagger wins the match-up of former junior slam winners between herself (RG '25 champ) and Snigur ('19 Wimbledon).

After dropping her first service game of the match, soon falling behind 5-2 in the 1st set, Tagger never faced another BP the rest of the match en route to her maiden tour title.

The Austrian-vs.-Ukrainian final was just the third Prague title match (w/ 2020 and '24) that didn't feature a Czech since the inaugural version of the tour-level event back in 2015.


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6. Prague 1st Rd. - Marie Bouzkova def. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
...7-5/7-5. In her middle of a career year, Prague DC Bouzkova gets the win in her return as Bouzas Maneiro is clipped at the end of *both* sets.

Bouzkova got the break on her seventh BP in game 12 in the 1st, avoiding a TB, then did the same on BP #3 in game 12 of the 2nd to again avoid a breaker.
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7. Prague QF - Tereza Valentova def. Marie Bouzkova
...2-6/6-4/7-6(6). Bouzkova's defense attempt lasted two more matches, as fellow Czech Valentova pulls off on the biggest wins of her young career.

Valentova had led 4-2 in the 3rd, but Bouzkova pulled even by converting BP #4 to tie the score at 4-all. Valentova went out to a 6-4 lead in the TB, finally putting away the win on MP #3 and taking the breaker 8-6.


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8. Hamburg 1st Rd. - Alina Charaeva def. Sara Sorribes Tormo
...3-6/7-5/6-1. Days after reaching her first tour-level doubles final just weeks after announcing her new representation of Armenia, Charaeva battles for over three hours to pull off this singles win.

Sorribes Tormo led 6-3/5-3, and held triple MP at 40/love in game 9 on serve, then had a fourth MP on return a game later. Charaeva held serve, then broke and served out the set to force a 3rd. She raced to a 5-0 lead in the decider, finishing off the Spaniard by a 6-1 score.
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9. Hamburg 1st Rd. - Tamara Korpatsch def. Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva
...4-6/7-5/1-0 ret. 2026 has been something of a minor breakthrough season for the 20-year old Andorran, the 2020 AO girls' champ. But this turned out to be a lost opportunity as she led 6-4/3-1 over Korpatsch before losing the last eight points of the 2nd set. Dealing with some sort of foot injury, VJK was forced to retire after losing the opening game of the 3rd (having dropped 12 of the last 13 points).



This season, Jimenez Kasintseva has cracked the Top 100, posted a 1st Round win at Indian Wells and reached her third tour-level QF (at Merida).

VJK's Wikipedia page features what is such a tennis player's bio, as the description of one of the least talked about tour groundbreakers touches on her world-hopping background, multi-national family (which, of course, has some pro tennis in its past) and multilingual language capabilities:

"Victoria Jimรฉnez Kasintseva was born in Andorra la Vella, Andorra to Andorran father Joan Jimรฉnez Guerra and Russian mother Yulia Kasintseva. Her father is a former tennis professional who reached a career-high ATP Tour ranking of 505. Her brother, Joan, also plays tennis. She spent three years of her childhood living in Kentucky in the United States from age 4 to age 8. She began playing tennis at the age of three, and currently trains in Barcelona with her father. She speaks Spanish, English, French, and Russian fluently, in addition to her native Catalan."
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10. Hamburg Final - Tamara Korpatsch def. Anna Bondar
...6-3/6-3. Korpatsch wins tour title #2, becoming the fourth woman this season to pick up a WTA title on home soil.

The German joins Romania's Sorana Cirstea (Cluj-Napoca) and Bannerettes Peyton Stearns (Austin, in case you've forgotten) and Jessie Pegula (Charleston).

Last year's North American hard court summer schedule featured just one home favorite run in Vicky Mboko's breakout win in Montreal.
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11. Prague 1st Rd. - Lucie Havlickova def. Alycia Parks
...6-2/6-4. The 21-year old Czech notches a 1st Round win in Prague for the third time in five years (2022 and '25, after making her debut in '21).

So far, through, they're the only tour-level MD wins for the '22 RG junior champ (and U.S. Open junior finalist; while she won the GD at both that season).

A wild card entrant in singles this year again in Prague, Havlickova has reached a trio of tour WD finals in Czech-hosted events ('25 Prague, '26 Ostava and again this year in Prague). So far, she's gone 0-3.
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12. Prague 1st Rd. - Maya Joint def. Laura Samson
...6-4/3-6/6-2. Perhaps Joint's Wimbledon victory over Serena Williams will prove to be a turning point that will usher in a far better second half for the Aussie.

With this three-set win over the young Czech, Joint posts wins in consecutive WTA events for the first time since October.
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13. Hamburg SF - Tamara Korpatsch def. Mayer Sherif
...6-1/2-0 ret. Mighty busy of late, Sherif's run finally comes to an end after she'd been victorious in thirteen straight matches across multiple levels (8 in WTA events) winning 18 of 19 while claming three singles titles (two 125s and a tour-level crown in Iasi).

After winning a Monday final over Paula Badosa (who retired) in Iasi, Sherif came back from 3-0 down in the 1st Round in Hamburg vs. Simona Waltert, dominating a final TB (leading 6-1, and winning 7-3). Two rounds later, she won a hard-fought "do-over" vs. Badosa in the QF.

Since mid-June, Sherif's ranking has climbed from #127 to #49 on Monday.


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14. Prague 1st Rd. - Ocean Dodin def. Alisa Oktiabreva
...6-3/6-3. 17-year old Oktiabreva makes both her WTA MD debut, as well as playing in her first event as a Czech (just what they need -- *another* one).



BOOKKEEPING NOTE: The teenager won the RG junior title this spring while still "flagless," as a native Russian who'd been living in the Czech Republic since she was a child. The process of becoming an official member of the Crush of Czechs was still ongoing when she won in Paris, so while she *technically* wasn't listed as representing *any* nation I suppose her RG win should "unofficially" still be listed amongst the Hordette junior slam champions unless her nation should remain "blank".
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15. Palermo 125 QF - Alevtina Ibragimova def. Clara Burel
...3-6/7-6(5)/6-4. The 21-year old Hordette adds another nice result to what has become an interesting spring. The climbing-the-ladder string of good tennis has included a pair of $35K QF, a $75K RU, a qualifying run and 1st Round win at tour-level Iasi, and then this week's SF in another 125. In addition to her three set win over Burel, she also posted a three-set victory in Palermo over Tamara Zidansek, a semifinalist a week ago in Iasi.

Ibragimova is 15-7 since the start of May and will edge closer to her Top 200 debut with a rise to a new career high ranking around #220.


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16. $15K Brisbane AUS Final - Destanee Aiava def. Natsuho Arakawa
...6-2/6-1. After announcing retirement plans in February in a fiery social media post in which she assailed the sport's sexism, racism, and homophobia, Aiava has since changed her mind, not only about giving up the sport but about the nation she represents.

Aiava switched from Australia to New Zealand last month. She returned to the court two weeks ago, and has yet to lose. This is her second straight title run in Brisbane, with her putting together a ten-match winning streak.


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17. Hamburg Final - Dalila Jakupovic/Nika Radisic def. Magali Kempen/Alexandra Panova
...5-7/6-3 [10-5]. The all-Slovenian duo add their first tour-level win as a team to their 125 title from last month, as Jakupovic picks up title #3 (her first since 2018) while Radisic wins her maiden WTA crown.


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18. $100K Amstetten NED Final - Teodora Kostovic def. Vivian Wolff
...6-4/6-0. Wolff is no Sabalenka, who 19-year Kostovic warned of her power before getting just five games off the world #1 in the 1st Round of Wimbledon last month, but she'll do as the opponent in what is now the Serb's biggest career title.

She'll crack the Top 150 on Monday.


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1. Prague QF - Alena Kovackova/Jana Kovackova def. Ingrid Martins/Makota Ninomiya
...3-6/6-3 [11-9]. The wild card Kovackovas played a pair of MTB over three rounds in Prague, saving two MP and winning 11-9 over #5 seeds Martins/Ninomiya. They lost a round later in a 10-3 MTB to #4 Dart/Lumsden, who'd go on to defeat another all-Crusher team (Havlickova/Samson) in the final.
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Another all-sisters duo, the Bannerette Penickovas (who faced off with the Kovackovas in the AO25 girls' doubles final), were also in the headlines in Week 29.



2. $35K Santa Fe USA Final - Annika Penickova/Kristina Penickova def. Carolina Gomez/Celine Simunyu
...6-3/6-3. The sisters take their third and biggest pro title in New Mexico.
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By the way, in case you missed it, Oleksandra Oliynykova has now moved on to criticizing *fellow Ukrainians* for not going scorched earth regarding anyone and everyone, criticizing Yuliia Starodubtseva and Nadiia Kichenok for attending (of all people's) Dasha Kasatkina's wedding last week, scolding them for supporting their friend rather than fundraising for the Ukrainian war effort.

Here was Starodubtseva's response...



So, will O.O. be adding fellow Ukrainians to the list of unacknowledged future opponents that she'll attack pre-match and charge with being complicit in war deaths and accuse of being no better than Nazis? Stay tuned.

Hamburg top seed Oliynykova withdrew from her QF match vs. Elina Avanesayn, an Armenian who formerly represented Russia. The stated reason was an abdominal injury. Maybe she pulled something when reaching for her phone to furiously send off her latest missive?


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Ummm...




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For the official record (from March)...




Apparently, it's not *really* pronounced that way (but we can all occasionally pretend for entertainment purposes, right?)...
























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*2026 FIRST-TIME WTA CHAMPIONS*
Abu Dhabi - Sara Bejlek, CZE (20/#101)
Merida - Cristina Bucsa, ESP (28/#63)
Rabat - Petra Marcinko, CRO (20/#76)
Rosmalen - Robin Montgomery, USA (21/#484)
Prague - LILLI TAGGER, AUT (18/#74)
[doubles]
Rouen - Jesika Maleckova, CZE (31)
Rabat - Eudice Chong, HKG (30)
Rosmalan - Liang En-shuo, TPE (25)
Nottingham - Harriet Dart, GBR (29)
Nottingham - Maia Lumsden, GBR (28)
Berlin - Linda Noskova, CZE (21)
Hamburg - NIKA RADISIC, SLO (26)
[mixed GS]
WI - Alona Ostapenko, LAT (29)

*2026 FIRST-TIME WTA FINALISTS*
Sara Bejlek, CZE (#101/20 = Abu Dhabi)=W
Taylor Townsend, USA (#119/29 = Austin)
Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR (#89/26 = Charleston)
Panna Udvardy, HUN (#92/27 = Bogota)
Veronika Podrez, UKR (#209/19 = Rouen)
Petra Marcinko, CRO (#76/20 = Rabat)=W
Maja Chwalinska, POL (#114/24 = Roland Garros)
Robin Montgomery, USA (#484/21 = Rosmalen)=W
DARIA SNIGUR, UKR (#54/24 = Prague)

*2026 MULT.DIFFERENT WTA FINALISTS BY COUNTRY*
7 - USA
...Gauff,Keys,Montgomery,Navarro,Pegula,Stearns,Townsend
6 - UKR
...Kalinina,Kostyuk,Podrez,SNIGUR,Starodubtseva,Svitolina
5 - CZE
...Bejlek,Bouzkova,Krejcikova,Muchova,Noskova
2 - AUT
...Potapova,TAGGER
2 - CRO
...Marcinko,Vekic
2 - ESP
...Badosa,Bucsa
2 - GBR
...Boulter,Raducanu
2 - GER
...Korpatsch,Maria
2 - HUN
...BONDAR,P.Udvardy
2 - POL
...Chwalinska,Frech
2 - RUS
...Alexandrova,M.Andreeva
--
1 - BLR,CAN,CHN,EGY,GER,GRE,ITA,JPN,KAZ,ROU

*2026 FINALS WITH TWO TITLE-LESS PLAYERS*
Rabat - Marcinko (0-0) def. Kalinina (0-2)
Prague - TAGGER (0-1) def. SNIGUR (0-0)

*2026 WTA DOUBLES TITLES - DUOS*
4...Siniakova/Townsend
3...Dabrowska/Stefani
2...DART/LUMSDEN
2...Guo/Mladneovic

*2026 OLDEST WTA CHAMPIONS*
35 - Sorana Cirstea (Cluj-Napoca)
32 - Jessie Pegula (Charleston)
31 - Jessie Pegula (Dubai)
31 - Elina Svitolina (Rome)
31 - Elina Svitolina (Auckland)
31 - Madison Keys (Eastbourne)
31 - TAMARA KORPATSCH (Hamburg)

*2026 YOUNGEST WTA FINALISTS*
18 - Iva Jovic, USA (Hobart)
18 - LILLI TAGGER, AUT (Prague - W)
18 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Adelaide - W)
18 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Linz - W)
19 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Madrid)
19 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Roland Garros - W)
19 - Victoria Mboko, CAN (Adelaide)
19 - Victoria Mboko, CAN (Doha)
19 - Victoria Mboko, CAN (Strasbourg)
19 - Veronika Podrez, UKR (Rouen)
[doubles]
18 - LAURA SAMSON, CZE (Prague)
19 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Madrid)
19 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Rome - W)
19 - Maya Joint, AUS (Abu Dhabi - W)
[doubles team]
39 - HAVLICKOVA (21) & SAMSON (18), Prague
41 - Havlickova (20) & Salkova (21), Ostrava
41 - M.Andreeva (19) & Shnaider (22), Madrid
41 - M.Andreeva (19) & Shnaider (22), Rome = W

*2026 WTA 125 TITLES*
2 - FRANCESCA JONES, GBR
2 - Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
2 - Katarzyna Kawa, POL
2 - Mayar Sherif, EGY #
2 - Lanlana Tararudee, THA
2 - Maria Timofeeva, UZB
2 - Moyuka Uchijima, JPN
-
# - also won WTA title in '26






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Funny how transparency became optional.

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— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline.com) July 20, 2026 at 11:32 PM



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— Mark Somers (@marksomers.bsky.social) July 21, 2026 at 1:10 AM


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Can't get numb to this: The United States is stuck in a war it started, cannot end, and may further escalate to no avail, having dismantled its diplomatic apparatus, depleted its military stockpile, and destroyed its credibility. A historic strategic mistake harming millions in many different ways.

— Elizabeth N. Saunders (@profsaunders.bsky.social) July 21, 2026 at 9:57 AM


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So it's not only the WTA that hires brand marketing firms that are just phoning it in...



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If anyone would like to see a short video of a baby Armadillo having a drink of milk, this is your lucky day.

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— Stevie Kilner (@1steviekilner.bsky.social) July 21, 2026 at 5:10 AM





All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:05 PM 

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