Britain’s Harriet Dart claimed the first WTA Tour singles title of her career. She defeated 18-year-old Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a tense Guangzhou Open final, according to AP reporting via skysports.com and inkl.com.
The 30-year-old qualifier from Hampstead fought back from a set down. She secured the biggest victory of her professional tennis career at the WTA 250 event in China. Dart twice saw a lead in the deciding set wiped out by her teenage opponent. She then broke serve for a third time to make it 4-3, as reported by skysports.com. After holding serve, she converted her third championship point with a service winner. She dropped to the court in joy before celebrating with her team.
Dart Wins Guangzhou Open Final
Dart’s triumph in Guangzhou was built on resilience and an ability to recover from difficult positions throughout the week. The British number five reached the final after saving three match points in her semi-final win over Sun Xinran. Facing the 2025 French Open junior champion Tagger in the title match, Dart dropped serve in the opening game and had to save an early break point just to get on the board.
That match marked the fourth time in seven tournament matches that Dart recovered to win after losing the first set. After Tagger claimed the opening set 6-4, Dart earned the first break of the second set to go up 5-3 before leveling the match. In a tense deciding set featuring a run of five consecutive breaks of serve, Dart saved two break points to hold for 5-3 before eventually sealing the victory.
Rankings Surge After Guangzhou Victory
Ranked 115th in the world heading into the tournament, Dart’s Guangzhou run earned her a rankings boost. Her victory lifted her back inside the world’s top 100 at world number 83, as noted by skysports.com.
FIRST EVER WTA TITLE ⭐️Harriet Dart has won her first ever WTA singles title in Guangzhou, defeating Tagger 4-6, 6-3, 6-4!#GuangzhouOpen pic.twitter.com/Ju0lbUKfwD
That ranking ensures Dart will go directly into the main draw of the Australian Open when the opening Grand Slam of the season begins in January. The triumph caps a strong second half of the year. Dart won 19 of her 24 tour-level hard-court matches following Wimbledon. This brought her overall WTA Tour record this season to 23 victories from 34 matches.
Working With Marion Bartoli
Dart credited her recent resurgence to hard work alongside her coaching team. This team includes former Wimbledon champion and Sky Sports analyst Marion Bartoli. Dart reached a career-high ranking of 70th in 2024 after making the Wimbledon third round and US Open second round. She then spent the past two seasons languishing outside the top 100 before recapturing her consistent form.
I’ll try not to get too emotional. A big thank you to my team this week. My boyfriend Stephen [Falck], my fitness coach, but also the people at home. My coach Marion, really appreciate all your hard work, but also my family, my parents and my sister Phoebe.
Harriet Dart, Guangzhou Open champion
Following her defeat, Tagger paid tribute to the champion during the trophy ceremony. It wasn’t fun to be on the other side of the court today – you’ve had an amazing year,
Tagger told Dart. She referenced the Austrian teenager’s own remarkable run that included a win over seven-time major champion Venus Williams.