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The escape of teenage qualifier Clara Tauson continued at the Open 6ème Sens – Métropole de Lyon with a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Camila Giorgi to reach her first WTA semi-final in one hour and 10 minutes .
World No.139 Tauson is making her third WTA main draw and has yet to lose more than four games per set in any of her five games this week. The Dane, who defeated No.1 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round, is also on a nine-game winning streak after winning the Altenkirchen ITF W25 title last month, and her 2021 record is 17-3 until now.
“I played better, served better, especially,” said Tauson, who won 22 of 27 points behind his first serve. “The more matches I play, the more I get better, and the more I play better players, the better I play. Now I have played more and more matches against [Top 100] players, so I feel more comfortable. I am no longer afraid on the court as before. I was always happy to play against them, now I want to win against them. My mentality has changed a lot this year – I think I can beat these players on a regular basis. “
Friday’s quarterfinals saw Tauson dominate both from the baseline and on serve. A temperamental first pass saw an early exchange of breaks, but after Tauson managed a backhand return to take a 3-2 lead, she took control of the game.
Thereafter, the 18-year-old would lose just six more points behind her delivery, shooting six aces in total. Three of them came in the final match as she took the victory in an authoritarian manner. Tauson was particularly happy with this aspect of her game afterwards.
“It’s my main goal every game to increase my first serve percentage and the winning percentage behind,” said Tauson. “Following the first serve with good shots after that is also my goal.”
Read more: “I am not a team player!” – Meet Clara Tauson
In contrast, world No.81 Giorgi was reportedly plagued by eight double faults and became increasingly error prone as the match continued. In general, Tauson’s game turned out to be more complete. The former world junior No. 1 not only managed to create a formidable pace on his forehand, but also pulled a number of good winners from defensive positions.
Giorgi’s famous hard-hitting play came as no surprise to Tauson, who considers himself a tennis nerd.
“I watched it so much on TV so I was ready for the ball that comes in quickly,” Tauson said. “But I really think I equaled her game today – I don’t mean I played as fast as she did, but I do think she was under pressure when my balls were fast as well.
“You can ask me anything, I know everything about all the scores that exist now and have been before. It’s fun for me – I love watching tennis, I love knowing all the players and all results. You will never find me in a difficult position if you ask me about tennis – I know it all. My coach says I’m the Wikipedia of tennis results! “
Tauson will then face No.4 seed Kristina Mladenovic or No.7 seed Paula Badosa as she tries to reach her first final.
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