Tagger and Kraus exit early in Cincinnati

Lilli Tagger and Sinja Kraus have been eliminated in the first round of the WTA 1000 tennis tournament in Cincinnati. Tagger, who played after advancing through qualifying, faced Australian Taliba Gibson and ultimately lost in an intense marathon match.

The match lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes, ending with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 5-7 in favor of Gibson. In the third set, Tagger held a 3-0 lead but squandered it, preventing her from closing out the match in her favor.

Sinja Kraus also lost in the first round. She faced American Sloane Stephens and was defeated with a score of 5-7, 3-6. Kraus was similarly unable to advance to the second round.

The high prize money for the hardcourt event totals $7.433 million. With the losses of Tagger and Kraus, Austria's representation in Cincinnati has thus come to an early end.