She ended the match with an ace. As the greatest players often do. She raised her hands above her head and looked forward. Slovak tennis player Mia Pohánková claimed the biggest victory in her career.
At the tournament in Dutch Hertogenbosch, she defeated the 24th player in the world from Denmark Clara Tauson in two sets 6:4 and 6:4.
Pohánková thus defeated the player with the best ranking in her career. There is a difference of almost 260 positions in the ranking between the 17-year-old Slovak and the Dane.
Focused and disciplined
Pohánková performed very well from the opening balls. Although she lost the opening game, she gained an advantage in the next three games.
In the first set, she already led 5:2, she was two balls away from winning the set. However, she could not handle the pressure and finally succeeded only 6:4.
The second set had the opposite course. Pohánková was already losing 0:3, later 1:4. But then the turning point came in this condition, when the teenager managed a 12-ball game.
From that moment, she took Tauson’s two serves, allowed her only 15th and celebrated the victory after 92 minutes.
“She showed a very combative, focused and disciplined performance against a quality opponent. Throughout the match, she remained faithful to what we have been working on for a long time, and she was able to handle even challenging moments,” Pohánková’s team told Sportnet tennis coach Róbert Gašparetz and mental coach Adam Kocian.
They appreciated that she returned to match pace after a longer tournament break. “It’s not easy to come back and immediately perform well. We appreciate today’s victory and the way Mia achieved it all the more,” the coaches said.
VIDEO: Editing of the match Mia Pohánková – Clara Tausonová
Losing is disappointing
Before the match, Patrik, the TV commentator and brother of the former star Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, gave his view on the first round duel.
“The criterion for success is for Clara Tauson to win this match. I don’t expect her to perform at the top at all, the important thing is to simply win. Sometimes it’s better to win in an ugly way.
In her current situation, it is certainly better than losing after a good performance. She needs to collect victories and build her confidence,” he said of Tauson.
When he compared the two players, he assumed that the compatriot would win. “Everyone expects her to win, despite what she went through during her injury. We should also expect a win. Anything else would be a disappointment in my opinion,” he said.
Former world No. 34 Tina Scheurová-Larsen saw the biggest weakness in Tauson’s serve.
“She has to rediscover her serve because it’s a huge weapon for her. She has to serve better in the future than she did today,” she said after the match.
It was the serve that decided the match. While Pohánková “snapped” eleven aces, Tausonová only one. In addition, the Dane made five double faults, the Slovak only three.
Room to grow
The Slovakian coaches see the sense in the cooperation they set up together. “We are pleased with this result, but at the same time we see it as another step on the road. We still see room for growth and further improvement. We look forward to the next challenges that await us.”
The next challenge for Pohánková will be Poland’s Magda Linette, the 60th ranked player in the world, in the second round of the tournament in the Netherlands.
The Slovakian’s advantage may be that grass is the least favorite surface of the player from the 3rd round at Roland Garros 2026.
In her career, she could not even win half of the matches on it. At Wimbledon in 2025, she was eliminated in the opening round.
For Pohánková, preparation for the senior Wimbledon also began. In it, she received a free card to qualify as the winner of the junior section from 2025.
Thanks to the win, she moved up 32 places to 248th in the live rankings. If he succeeds against Poland, he will jump another 15 places.
