Clara Tauson serves up a reminder of steady tennis progress on the WTA Tour
Tennis
Check out with card
Tauson won the girls’ singles at the 2019 . In the four majors prior, there were four different girls’ singles winners. Two have gone on to be Grand Slam champions: and . The other two are Liang En-shuo and Wang Xiyu, ranked No. 153 and No. 95 in the world. The four winners of the four junior majors after Tauson’s win? Leylah Fernandez, a finalist and now world No. 30; Daria Snigur (currently world No. 125); Camia Osorio (No. 52); and Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva (No. 151.) Many more junior champions find themselves down the rankings than make it to the top of the sport — and even those that do often take longer than their first flush of success might have implied.
Henin won her first Grand Slam at the French Open a few days after her 21st birthday in 2003. Tauson is taking a bit longer to get to her best level, which in Denmark some believe could be the top 10 by the end of the year. Gravesen says the country loves an underdog story and Tauson’s reemergence has captured the public’s imagination — especially when Rune appears to be on the opposite trajectory.
Tauson edges Muchova for first WTA 1000 final in Dubai
2025 DUBAI
Two first-time WTA 1000 finalists will square off for the title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday after Denmark’s Clara Tauson earned her place opposite 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva with a 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 win over No. 14 seed Karolina Muchova in Friday’s second semifinal.
Dubai: Draws | Scores | Order of play
Tauson, like Andreeva earlier against Elena Rybakina, came from a break down in the third set against former Roland Garros finalist Muchova, who was bidding for her third career WTA 1000-level final. Instead, the 22-year-old underdog broke through to reach her first by beating her third current or former Top 10 player of the week, following wins over former Dubai champion Elina Svitolina and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Tauson saved three break points at 2-2 in the final set before winning the last three games of the match to reach her second final of the season, having already won the WTA 250 ASB Classic in January when Naomi Osaka retired from the final.
By beating Muchova in 2 hours and 52 minutes, Tauson earned multiple Top 20 wins at a tournament for the first time in her career. She won the last eight points of the first set after Muchova came from a break down, and later in the third, won the match’s last three games.
Though she hit fewer winners than Muchova in the win, Tauson’s came at clutch times. One area where Tauson out-performed Muchova was on break points. She saved seven of nine she faced in the match, including all five she faced in the deciding set.
“It was a great match,” Tauson said afterwards. “What can I say? Muchova is such a great player … I don’t know how I won today, but I tried to keep my cool and play some great tennis.”
In the youngest final at WTA 1000 level since the tournament format debuted in 2009, Tauson will face Andreeva for the first time.
Madison Keys had to do it her way. From big-hitting teenage prodigy to a gritty Grand Slam champion, the 29-year-old American’s journey is one to inspire. Keys kicked off the 2025 Hologic WTA Tour season with a Grand Slam run to remember, beating four Top 10 seeds, including World No.1 and No.2 back-to-back to win her first major title. How did she do it? By transforming tears into belief.
Must See
Latest Galleries
Latest Articles
Latest Videos
Title Partner
Global Partners
Follow WTA On Social
Affiliates
Let us know if you agree to cookies
Andreeva upsets Rybakina in Dubai to become youngest-ever WTA 1000 finalist
Tauson vs. Andreeva: Everything you need to know about the Dubai final
Tauson’s biggest title or Andreeva’s next milestone? The Dubai final awaits
Photos: Sorana Cirstea and all 2025’s three-hour matches
Photos: Elena Rybakina and all 2025’s winners from match point down
Photos: Wakana Sonobe and all of 2025’s WTA main-draw debuts
Andreeva tops Tauson to win WTA 1000 Dubai title and make Top 10 debut
THE OFFICIAL APP OF TENNIS IS HERE. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Champions Corner: Madison Keys gets her Grand Slam
Andreeva wins Dubai; becomes youngest-ever WTA 1000 champ and cracks Top 10
Siniakova and Townsend top Hsieh and Ostapenko again to win Dubai
Tauson’s biggest title or Andreeva’s next milestone? The Dubai final awaits
Tauson vs. Andreeva: Everything you need to know about the Dubai final
| 2 | 4 | – | |
| 6 | 6 | – |
| 6 | 6 | – | |
| 3 | 3 | – |
| 3 | 6 | 10 | |
| 6 | 4 | 7 |
| 7 | 6 | – | |
|
6 4 |
4 | – |
| 5 | 7 | 3 | |
| 7 | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 7 | – | |
| 2 |
6 2 |
– |
| 6 | 3 | 10 | |
| 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 6 | 7 | – | |
| 2 | 5 | – |
| 7 | 6 | – | |
|
6 5 |
4 | – |
|
6 1 |
1 | – | |
| 7 | 6 | – |
| 6 | 6 | – | |
| 2 | 3 | – |
| 15 | 5 | 2 | – | |
| 0 | 7 | 4 | – |
| 30 | 6 | 6 | – | |
| 15 | 2 | 5 | – |
| 40 | 2 | – | – | |
| Av | 1 | – | – |
| – | – | – | – | |
| – | – | – | – |
Quote of the Day: Clara Tauson has long night of recovery after Dubai semifinal
The Dane won in nearly three hours to make the biggest final of her career.
Published Feb 21, 2025
DUBAI—Clara Tauson will spend Friday night preparing for the biggest final of her young career at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and though she’ll take the court alone the Dane can count on a team of spiritual doubles partners to help ready her for the championship match on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Dane spent nearly three hours on court to continue her winning week at the WTA 1000, backing up impressive wins over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Linda Noskova to hold off a late surge from No. 14 seed Karolina Muchova, defeating the 2023 Roland Garros finalist, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3.
But before she can head back to the hotel and strategize for her final against No. 12 seed Mirra Andreeva, Tauson has a trip to the recovery room all lined up.
Q. What constitutes recovery at this stage of the tournament? Is it simply resting in the hotel?
CLARA TAUSON: I think I have to give the physios one big gift when I’m done here because they’ve really been working with me since the first round. They’ve been helping me and trying to keep me together. We’ll do that again today and tomorrow.
They’re going to get everything. They deserve everything if I win.
“I’m barely one body anymore,” added Tauson, who has won five matches in five days. “I’ve never played so many matches in a row, so we’ll see how I wake up tomorrow. I don’t think it’s going to be great, but I’m going to try my best to keep it together in the final.”
With the clock about to strike 11PM local time, Tauson was resigned to be on site for a few more hours in order to ensure she’s match ready tomorrow.
“What time is it?” she asked as the post-match press conference concluded. “Oh no, I won’t be sleeping great. I’ll try to sleep as long as I can tomorrow but I have a few hours of treatment and then recovery that I have to do after this. It won’t be a great night of sleep.”
We’ll be setting our alarms to to watch Tauson take on Andreeva Saturday night at 7PM local time.
