British teenager Hannah Klugman was visibly emotional, breaking down in tears after a heavy defeat in the French Open junior girls` singles final. The 16-year-old, considered one of the most promising young talents in British tennis, admitted after the match, “I was broken mentally and physically.”
Klugman was convincingly beaten 6-2, 6-0 in a match lasting just 77 minutes by her opponent, 17-year-old Austrian Lilli Tagger, in the championship decider.
Playing on Court Simonne-Mathieu, Klugman seemed to struggle particularly with the windy conditions. The schoolgirl from Kingston-upon-Thames was aiming to become the first British player to claim the Roland Garros junior title since Michelle Tyler achieved the feat in 1976.
Wiping away tears during the post-match presentation, Klugman offered congratulations to Tagger. “I want to start off by saying congratulations to Lilli. Honestly, you deserve it so much,” she said. “You broke me mentally and physically today.”
Reflecting on her tournament run, she added, “It’s been a long week. I’m really proud of myself.” She also thanked her support team and the enthusiastic crowd: “I’m very tired. It’s been a long week. I want to thank my team for all of the hard work – it means a lot. The crowd, you were amazing, I’ve never played in an atmosphere like this so thank you so much.” Looking ahead, she expressed hope, “Hopefully I’ll be back some time in the seniors, so thank you so much.”
Tagger had a dominant run throughout the tournament, winning the title without dropping a single set. She sealed her victory in the final with a swift second set that lasted only 23 minutes, where she won 24 out of 35 points.
For Klugman, the match offered significant learning opportunities, especially on clay, a surface she had limited experience on until dedicating two months to practicing on it earlier this year. This preparation included spending time at Rafael Nadal’s academy in Spain, where the 22-time Grand Slam champion reportedly took notice of her talent.
Despite the singles final loss, Klugman has demonstrated her potential by reaching two Grand Slam girls’ doubles finals, at Wimbledon in 2023 and the Australian Open this year. The French Open junior title has historically served as a springboard for many future Grand Slam champions, including Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis, Amélie Mauresmo, Justine Henin, and Coco Gauff.
