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The 16-year-old Dane Clara Tauson has been on a stellar run so far in 2019, winning J1 Traralgon and the Australian Open to become junior world no. 1 and conquering back-to-back pro events in Monastir and Shenzhen. Playing above W15 level for the first time in her short pro career, super talented Dane went all the way in China to secure the third professional title and earn the first WTA points after significant changes that hit professional tennis at the end of 2018.
Shenzhen was only the seventh pro event for Clara in a career and she had proven her quality once again, scoring five wins over more experienced rivals for the biggest success so far. Staying in China for another week, Clara entered W15 event in Xiamen and delivered another title, the third in a row on the pro level for a 27-2 score in singles in 2019 in both junior and pro matches!
The youngster defeated four rivals in straight sets to advance into the final where she beat the Chinese teenager Meiqi Guo to wrap up another great week and walk away with the trophy in her hands. “So far 2019 has been an amazing year for me,” Tauson said.
“First I won two junior tournaments in Australia and now I am very grateful and happy that I have been able to win three in a row in Tunisia and China. Becoming No. 1 in the ITF junior rankings is also special. But the tournament in Shenzhen was naturally my first real challenge on a professional level.
I have not played that many pro tournaments yet, so I am not in any way an expert in valuation of this. However, there is a big difference in experience between the juniors and pros. From a physical perspective, you are competing with players who have played for years in pro tournaments.
It is good for my development, as I learn a lot day by day being pushed by strong and experienced players. My goal for this season is mainly to improve my tennis skills on all levels. There is always something to improve in tennis, and training is super fun.
I hope to play a lot of pro tournaments at a higher level to find out how far I am in my tennis development, and where specifically I need to improve to compete. I find clay court tennis interesting. I like to build the points making use of the court's full dimensions.
And I enjoy spending time on a clay court during the summer. Clay tennis is synonymous with summer in Denmark and most of Europe. It brings back a lot of memories for me spending a lot of hours with my family and friends on courts throughout Europe in the summertime when I was younger.
I haven't received a special reward for my 2019 success, besides the fact I treat myself to a scoop of ice cream after every victory. That is a big reward!”