Opponent withdrew abruptly during a tense confrontation, leading to a five-match winning streak; Taiwan’s top female player claims her first title of the season.

Winning a tennis tournament is widely recognized as challenging. Yet occasionally, fortune helps determine the champion. For instance, last season during Wimbledon’s round of 16, Bulgarian Dimitrov, after taking two sets and nearing victory, withdrew because of injury. The determined Italian Sinner capitalized on this, advancing strongly to win his maiden Wimbledon championship. Similarly, just last week, a player experienced a comparable situation en route to her title. So, who was this player? And which tournament did she win last week? Let this article guide you through the story.

She is Joanna Garland from Taiwan, born in 2001, and also a post-2000s generation player. Last season, Joanna won four titles. Moreover, she advanced through the French Open qualifiers to claim her first main draw Grand Slam victory in her career. This marked the first time in five years that a Taiwanese player won a match in a Grand Slam main draw. That year, Joanna boosted her world ranking by nearly 200 spots, becoming the undisputed top female player from Taiwan.

Last week, in the first round of the Canberra Challenger, Joanna faced the tournament’s sixth seed, French player Parry, who had previously reached the round of 32 in a Grand Slam and possessed notable skill. As expected, Parry took the first set 7–5, gaining an early advantage. However, the momentum shifted dramatically as Joanna adjusted her serving rhythm, broke her opponent’s serve multiple times, and won the next two sets 6–4, 6–2, staging a comeback to secure her first victory of the 2026 season and advance with difficulty.

In the second round, Joanna’s opponent was the Russian qualifier Yatchenko, who had earlier defeated Chinese player Wei Shijia in the qualifying first round to enter the Grand Slam main draw, demonstrating some strength. The first set turned into a fierce battle with the score tied repeatedly. Unexpectedly, at 3–3, Yatchenko suddenly withdrew from the match. Thus, Joanna earned her second consecutive win and moved forward in the tournament.

In the quarterfinals, Joanna faced another qualifier, Slovenian player Zidansek, who had previously ranked in the top 50 and was a tough competitor. Joanna remained fully focused, executing a series of successful attacks to comfortably defeat her opponent 6–2, 6–4 and advance. In the semifinals, she met Ukrainian player Snigur, continuing her strong form by winning in straight sets to reach the final.

In the final, Joanna faced the tournament’s third seed, Uzbekistan’s Potapova-Kudermetova. She performed exceptionally well, allowing her opponent only six games throughout the match, and claimed her first Challenger title of the 2026 season. Honestly, Yatchenko’s withdrawal spared Joanna from a tough battle, but her breakthrough through the French Open qualifiers and nearly 200-place ranking jump within a year already prove her solid capability.

Luck always favors those who are prepared. This title rewards her relentless daily efforts to refine her skills and opens up greater possibilities for the post-2000 Taiwanese top female player’s 2026 season. Dear tennis fans, do you think she can break into the top 100 this season? That’s today’s tennis story; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)