Lilli Tagger’s Grand Slam qualifying debut is becoming one to remember for the 17-year-old Austrian. For the second round in a row, she came back from a set and a break down to close out play at Melbourne Park deep into the evening, defeating Elena Pridankina 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-1 in 2 hours and 31 minutes to come within one win of her major main draw debut.

Having overturned a 6-3, 4-2 deficit against Gao Xinyu in the first round, Tagger once again found herself on the brink of defeat against 20-year-old Pridankina. She trailed by a set and 5-3, and then by 5-0 in the second-set tiebreak. But the reigning Roland Garros junior champion found some of her best tennis to escape both times.

As Pridankina served for the match at 5-4, 30-30, Tagger came up with a spectacularly bold play for that juncture of the match — a move forwards that paid off as she carved an elegant backhand volley winner. The teenager was even grittier in the ensuing tiebreak:

  • At 5-0, Tagger went toe-to-toe from the baseline with the powerful Pridankina for 17 shots — then on the 18th, switched the rally up with a drop shot that she followed with a winning reflex volley;
  • At 5-1, Pridankina double faulted;
  • From 5-2 down, Tagger levelled at 5-5 with three consecutive forehand winners — two simple one-two punches and then a bold redirection down the line;
  • At 5-5, Tagger turned defense into offense, eventually catching Pridankina out with a short angled backhand;
  • On her first set point, Tagger slammed down a service winner.

It’s not the first time Tagger has found a new level with her back to the wall. In the Jiujiang semifinals last November, in her first WTA main draw, she faced triple match point against defending champion Viktorija Golubic — and responded by winning 13 straight points to snatch victory.

Watch: Lilli Tagger’s 13-point run from triple match point down to victory

The third set against Pridankina was smooth sailing for the Tagger, the highest-ranked 2008-born player at No. 154. A first Grand Slam main draw is on the line for both Tagger and her third-round opponent, No. 21 seed Lanlana Tararudee, who scored an impressive 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 defeat of Harriet Dart.

There’s also a national milestone on the line for Tararudee, who reached her first WTA semifinal in Chennai last November. Should she defeat Tagger, she will join compatriot Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the main draw — meaning two Thai women will compete in a Grand Slam main draw for the first time in the Open Era.

Elsewhere, 2013 semifinalist Sloane Stephens continued her comeback from a foot injury with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Olivia Gadecki. Stephens overturned a 2-0 deficit in the decider, and conceded serve just once over the last two sets. Having notched her first back-to-back wins since Madrid 2024, Stephens will next face another former Top 50 player in the final round — No. 2 seed Lucia Bronzetti, who outlasted Mary Stoiana 7-6(7), 1-6, 6-4 in 2 hours and 51 minutes.

Another great escape from Spain’s Guiomar Maristany Zuleta De Reales, who backed up her first-round upset of No. 3 seed Mayar Sherif by edging Tatiana Prozorova 6-2, 2-6, 7-6[7]. The 26-year-old saved four match points serving down 6-5 in the third set. Meanwhile, No. 25 seed Yuan Yue triumphed in the longest match of Day 3, battling past Maria Lourdes Carle 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 in 3 hours and 2 minutes.

No. 11 seed Taylor Townsend and wild card Storm Hunter set up an intriguing final round between two former doubles World No. 1 players. Townsend came through 6-4, 6-4 against Jazmin Ortenzi, while home favorite Hunter saved four set points in the second set — all serving down 6-5 — to defeat Lola Radivojevic 6-4, 7-6(1). While Townsend and Hunter have faced each other nine times on the doubles court, they have only played twice in singles — both in 2022, and both times won by Townsend.

The full Australian Open final qualifying round is as follows:

[SR] Bai Zhuoxuan (CHN) vs. Darja Vidmanova (CZE)
[2] Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) vs. [SR] Sloane Stephens (USA)
Guiomar Maristany Zuleta De Reales (ESP) vs. Elvina Kalieva (USA)
Tamara Zidansek (SLO) vs. [25] Yuan Yue (CHN)
[5] Zeynep Sonmez (TUR) vs. Anastasia Gasanova
[6] Yuliia Starodubtseva (UKR) vs. [18] Viktoriya Tomova (BUL)
Marina Bassols Ribera (ESP) vs. Himeno Sakatsume (JPN)
[8] Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs. Daria Snigur (UKR)
Zhu Lin (CHN) vs. [17] Marina Stakusic (CAN)
Maja Chwalinska (POL) vs. Anhelina Kalinina (UKR)
[11] Taylor Townsend (USA) vs. [WC] Storm Hunter (AUS)
[12] Greet Minnen (BEL) vs. [23] Linda Klimovicova (POL)
Lilli Tagger (AUT) vs. [21] Lanlana Tararudee (THA)
[14] Tamara Korpatsch (GER) vs. Maddison Inglis (AUS)
[16] Nikola Bartunkova (CZE) vs. Whitney Osuigwe (USA)