Klugman misses out on rare British juniors win

French Open 2025

Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros

Coverage: Live power commentaries crossed 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, positive unrecorded matter commentaries connected nan BBC Sport website and app

Teenager Hannah Klugman was incapable to go nan first Briton successful almost 50 years to triumph a French Open juniors title aft losing successful nan girls' singles final.

The 16-year-old, competing successful her first inferior Grand Slam singles final, was beaten 6-2 6-0 by Austria's Lilli Tagger.

Klugman, classed 13th successful nan world inferior rankings, was aiming to emulate Britain's Michelle Tyler, who won nan French Open girls' title successful 1976.

"It's been a agelong week but I'm really proud of myself," said an affectional Klugman.

Despite nan defeat, Klugman's performances successful Paris underlined her immense potential.

The London-born subordinate had small acquisition connected clay until spending 2 months practising connected nan aboveground earlier this twelvemonth - including spending a fewer days astatine Rafael Nadal's academy successful Spain.

After her semi-final victory, Klugman said nan proposal she received from 14-time French Open men's champion Nadal had helped springiness her much belief.

But Tagger, who precocious hit French Open women's semi-finalist Lois Boisson successful a lower-tier IFT Tour final, had excessively overmuch value for nan Briton.

Klugman changeable to wider prominence when, arsenic a 14-year-old, she won nan prestigious Orange Bowl inferior championships successful Florida successful 2023.

Past winners see French Open finalist Coco Gauff, arsenic good arsenic Grand Slam champions Chris Evert, Caroline Wozniacki and Bianca Andreescu.

Klugman has besides contested 2 Grand Slam girls' doubles finals, losing nan 2023 Wimbledon and this year's Australian Open trophy matches.

But conclusion by 17-year-old Tagger - who played good supra her inferior ranking of 47th successful nan world - completed an unwanted hat-trick of defeats.

Klugman needed to show conflict successful some quarter-final and semi-final victories, coming backmost from a group down earlier winning - but she could not do nan aforesaid against Tagger.

Tagger was coagulated from nan baseline and utilized her elegant one-handed backhand - an progressively uncommon show - to awesome effect.

Klugman had break points successful nan first and seventh games of nan opening set, but dropping her ain service successful nan 4th crippled proved decisive.

The high-quality baseline exchanges continued successful nan 2nd set, but Tagger edged them again to break astatine her first opportunity.

From that point, Klugman's assurance began to drain.

She fell 4-0 down aft producing a double responsibility connected break constituent and won conscionable 5 much points arsenic Tagger confidently secured victory.