WTA Jiujiang Tournament: Blinkova to face Tagger in the final

Blinkova profile picture

On November 1st, 2025, in the WTA250 Jiujiang semifinals, Blinkova beat Shalkova 6-4, 6-4, making her return to a tour final after two and a half years and reaching a WTA final for the third time in her career.

“It was a difficult match today,” Blinkova commented post-match, “She (Shalkova) played excellently, testing my limits, and I had to show great courage. This is special because it’s in China. I’ve worked very hard and played seriously in Asia for a long time. I haven’t won many matches since all of them were challenging, so I’m really happy this is my last match here. I finally gave myself a chance and gained a lot from it.”

Blinkova’s opponent in the final is 17-year-old Austrian rising star Tagger, who overcame a 2-5 deficit in the deciding set and saved three match points to eventually defeat defending champion and second seed Grubich 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. This is Tagger’s first time reaching a tour final in her debut main draw appearance.

(Text and editing by George, photos by Visual China)