The 17-year-old already drawing comparisons to Carlos Alcaraz and Ashleigh Barty

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Alexandra Eala, Mirra Andreeva and Maya Joint are part of a highly promising group of young players making their mark on the WTA Tour.

It’s been an important 2025 season for all three: Eala lifted her first WTA title in Guadalajara, Joint won her maiden Tour event in Nottingham and Andreeva reached world number five after winning two WTA 1000 tournaments.

Linda Noskova has caught the eye as well. The young Czech reached her first WTA 1000 final at the China Open earlier this year, showing she belongs at that level.

And now another player, currently outside the top 200, looks like she could soon be pushing into the top 50.

Lilli Tagger compared to Alcaraz and Barty

Lilli Tagger, a 17-year-old from Austria, is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about young players yet to make her mark at the top of the WTA Tour.

She’s already picked up a significant title in 2025, having won the French Open Junior Championship.

Tagger is coached by Francesca Schiavone, who won Roland Garros back in 2010.

Speaking on The Grind podcast, world number 226 doubles player Alexandra Osborne spoke about Tagger’s progress.

“From an ITF perspective Roddy, there is one girl, an Austrian 17-year-old Lilli Tagger. She’s just making headlines this year,” she said. “We may have spoken about her when Roland Garros was happening. She was the 2025 French Open Girls Singles champion and was an unseeded player in the draw.”

“She’s now gone on since then to win her third title of the year as a 17-year-old, a second straight in a row in Serbia. She’s reached four consecutive semi-finals at WTA 75 level and winning two titles in consecutive weeks,” she continued.

The attention around her isn’t just down to results either. Her style of play has drawn plenty of interest too.

Osborne highlighted that: “She has actually beaten our friend Sada Nahimana in the semi-final for her title run in Romania recently as well.”

“The biggest headline for me is that she has jumped up 300 spots since July which is insane”

Lilli Tagger also plays with a one-handed backhand – a rare feature among female players – which adds another layer to her rising profile.

Lilli Tagger’s three ITF titles in 2025

2025 has been a breakout year for Tagger. In addition to her French Open triumph, the Austrian has picked up three ITF titles.

Her first win of the season came in March, where she beat future French Open semi-finalist Lois Boisson in straight sets.

After finishing runner-up at the Ladies Open Amstetten in August, she responded by winning two more titles in September, one each in Romania and Serbia.

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Tagger is quickly becoming a player to keep an eye on, with her rise suggesting she could soon be making an impact at bigger WTA Tour events.