[Singles Quarterfinal]
Ann Li (USA) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(0) Lilli Tagger (Austria)

■The two players produced an excellent match, with both showcasing their strengths. Li got off to a flying start in the first set. She won every point behind her first serve and did not even allow her opponent a break point. In the second set, Tagger continued to play aggressively, building her game around her serve, and fought back to level the match. “I completely ran out of energy, and that’s why I lost the set,” Li said. But she was not about to give up. “I thought that if I don’t raise my energy level, I would have to walk off the court feeling disappointed. That thought helped me push myself,” she explained, describing how she regained her focus.

■The deciding set remained on serve deep into the final stage. Li had match points on Tagger’s serve at 5-4 and again at 6-5, but she could not convert either opportunity and forced the match into a tiebreak. In stark contrast to the closely contested battle up to that point, Li won point after point. “My concentration level went way up, and I was able to play well,” she said. Li won the tiebreak 7-0 to complete the victory. The top seed, who arrived in Osaka ranked No. 25 in the world—the highest ranking of her career—had prevailed over the 18-year-old Austrian.

■At 170 cm, Li is not particularly tall, but her game is dynamic. “I’m training to become a player who is strong, fast, and has great endurance,” she said. However, Li arrived in Osaka far from her best physical condition after playing a total of seven matches at the WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan, China. In Wuhan, she scored an impressive upset victory over world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka as well. The dip in her energy level midway through the match may well have reflected the fatigue accumulated from her busy schedule. “I’m tired,” Li admitted with a wry smile and added “I just have to keep fighting, both physically and mentally. It’s about taking it one day at a time and doing my best.”

(Japan Tennis Association)