Katie Boulter came from a set down to beat Antonia Ruzic 3-6 6-3 6-3, booking a place in the Japan Open semi-finals and reclaiming her status as the British No 1.
Boulter started poorly, losing the first three games of the match in succession. The Leicester native could not regain momentum in a 34-minute opening set, which Ruzic won 6-3.
Boulter responded in the second set. She trailed 2-0 after being broken in her opening service game, but she then broke Ruzic’s serve three times in a row to force a decider.
The world No 58 carried that momentum into the third set, winning three games in succession to open it. She survived a late break from Ruzic and closed out the final set 6-3 to secure her place in the last four.
Back at the top of British tennis
The win also restored Boulter as Britain’s best female player. She had ceded that position just five days earlier after Sonay Kartal reached the Wuhan Open final. Boulter’s progress in Japan overturned a 55-point deficit in the rankings and moved Kartal back to No 2.
Boulter praised her opponent in her on-court interview. “[Ruzic] is a really good player,” she said. “She’s extremely tough to beat.”
She added: “I did extremely well to come back into it in the second set but she was swinging at everything hard. I felt like anything that I was giving her wasn’t bothering her. Full credit to her.”
Boulter reflected on her own performance: “I tried to hang tough, and in the end I started to play a bit better. I was lucky in the second set, but in the end I felt like I did well to stay there.”
Next up: Siniakova
Boulter will face Czech player Katerina Siniakova in the semi-final on Saturday. She described her next opponent in glowing terms. “[Siniakova is] one hell of a player – she’s extremely dangerous,” Boulter said. “I know exactly what she’s going to bring to the table.”
She remained determined ahead of the match. “It’s going to be a great match – I’ve got nothing to lose and I’m going to come prepared tomorrow.”