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Madison Keys and her husband Bjorn Fratangelo’s historic win at the Australian Open was truly incredible, wasn’t it? Now, another player-coach duo is capturing attention. Clara Tauson and her coach, Kasper Elsvad, are turning heads as she’s reached the Dubai finals. She’ll be the winningest player of the season, as WTA puts it. It naturally makes you wonder… are they just a powerful team, or is there a romantic connection as well?

After her stint at the French Open last season, where she delivered her best run in a major, making it to the Round of 16, she decided to part ways with ex-trainer Lars Christensen. The latter has since started working again with Tauson’s compatriot and contemporary Holger Rune. The main reason for her to part ways with the former trainer Christensen was a poor run in 2024. Although she made it to the fourth round at the Roland Garros with him, she then lost consecutive first round matches in subsequent events. Tauson was ousted early at the Wimbledon, the Canadian Open, Tennis In the Land in Cleveland, and the US Open.

Speaking of the WTA pro, she opted to bring her boyfriend Kasper Elsvad to her team ahead of the Thailand Open in September 2024. Born in 1998, Elsvad is also from Denmark and a former tennis player. Interestingly, he was previously a hitting partner of Clara. He’s also a fellow member of the Kjobenhavns Boldklub in Copenhagen. Since joining her as a full-time coach, Elsvad has been working on improving Tauson’s biggest weakness – the backhand.

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Lately, she’s managed to get better at hitting accurate backhand strokes. Being a tall player, at 183 cm, it’s also a bit tough for her to move smoothly on the court. However, her mobility has been impressive, to say the least, in Dubai this week.

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On her way to her first WTA 1000 final, she was able to overcome the likes of Elina Svitolina, Linda Noskova, and even World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. Tauson beat her in the R16 in straight sets with a score line of 6-3, 6-2. She then entered the final after outperforming Czechia’s Karolina Muchova in a hard-fought SF on Friday. Tauson beat her 6-4, 6-7, 6-3. But what’s her plan now ahead of the title clash against another strong title contender and 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva?

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What’s your perspective on:

Is Clara Tauson's success more about love or skill? What do you think drives her victories?

Have an interesting take?

Clara Tauson reveals her honest feelings on reaching the final in Dubai

The 22-year-old seems fully focused on the title clash and doesn’t want to think too much. But she did admit that the excitement has been escalating among her well-wishers who want her to win on Saturday. “My phone has been blowing up. I haven’t responded to anyone other than my best friends and my family yet. I’m sorry to those people, but it’s been quite a lot. I mean, I’m going to respond to everyone when I’m finished,” reported WTA’s website on February 21.

When asked about her overall run at the event this week, she added, “I think the consistency has been very important for me. I don’t think I’ve ever put down these kind of results on this level. So it’s really nice for me that I can go out there and play freely. I mean, in most matches on this level I’m going to be the underdog.”

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Her opponent, teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva, is the youngest WTA 1000 finalist at the Dubai Tennis Championships and the youngest to beat three Grand Slam champions in a single event since Maria Sharapova. However, she hasn’t met Tauson in a professional match yet.

On February 22, it will be intriguing to see who emerges victorious. Will it be the rising talent, Andreeva? Or will Tauson replicate with her boyfriend and coach what Madison Keys accomplished in Australia with her husband last month? What’s your prediction? Let us know in the comments below.

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Is Clara Tauson's success more about love or skill? What do you think drives her victories?

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