Top talent Anna Pircher is Austria's indoor champion

In January of this year, she was still a spectator at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, but now Anna Pircher has the chance to take part in Austria's biggest women's sporting event herself! The Tyrolean, who is just 14 years old, sensationally secured the title of Austrian national indoor champion in Bad Waltersdorf in a real thriller of a final and thus punched her ticket to take part in the Young Ladies Wildcard Challenge (18/19 January 2025), through which she can earn a starting place for the Upper Austria Ladies Linz (26 January to 2 February 2025). Pircher was honoured as the ÖTV Young Player of the Year for the second time in a row at the start of the year as part of the WTA 500 tournament at the Linz Design Center. "It's my big goal to be able to play in this tournament one day. Being honoured on centre court with Barbara Schett-Eagle, who is also from Tyrol, was something very special for me," said Pircher at her award ceremony in January. Now she is a decisive step closer to her big goal.

At the national title matches in Bad Waltersdorf, Pircher was probably the youngest winner in the history of the tournament and showed incredible nerves of steel in the final. After 2:45 hours, Pircher prevailed against 18-year-old Ava Schüller from Lower Austria 4:6, 6:2 and 7:6, fending off no fewer than nine match points in the third set - three in a row twice. "It was unbelievable to win the match after fending off nine match points. I couldn't believe it myself and at times in the third set I no longer believed that I could still win the match. However, I didn't give up, tried everything and was able to capitalise on my first match point in the tie-break," said a relieved Pircher.

Winning the national championship is the icing on the cake of an outstanding 2024 for one of Austria's greatest young hopes in women's tennis. At just 14 years old, Pircher has already made it into the top 250 of the ITF junior world rankings (including U18) and won the ITF junior tournaments in Vienna and Porec.

"Anna's development is simply fantastic! She is also right up there with her peers at an international level and has already achieved great success even in the U18 juniors. That really gives us hope for the future," says ÖTV sports coordinator Marion Maruska. 

"Anna's victory in Bad Waltersdorf makes her the second participant in the Young Ladies Wildcard Challenge after Arabella Koller. Arabella already qualified at the national championships in the summer and won the Wildcard Challenge last year. We are delighted that they are both taking part," explains Tournament Director Sandra Reichel.

With a new points system, six more Austrian players up to the age of 26 who have already gained their first international experience can qualify for the Wildcard Challenge and play for a starting place in the qualifying round of the Linz Tennis Classic. There they can then compete with the best players in the world! 

The Young Ladies Wildcard Challenge, which has been held since 2018 and has long since become a fixture in Austrian women's tennis, will take place on 18 and 19 January at the OÖTV Performance Centre in Linz's Bockgasse.