Latest news with #KatieBoulter
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Katie Boulter triumphs in sweltering three-set Battle of the Brits against Sonay Kartal - as British No2 eyes Nottingham Open three-peat on the court she calls her 'house'
Katie Boulter calls the Centre Court here in Nottingham her 'house' and showed on Thursday she will not be handing the keys over without a fight. The 28-year-old, who grew up in nearby Leicester and trained at this tennis centre as a child, has won the Nottingham Open in each of the past two years. And she kept her bid for a record-breaking third successive title on course by beating Sonay Kartal in a 2hr 26min Battle of Britain. Boulter appeared to be wilting in the 28°C heat against her Billie Jean King Cup team-mate, requiring painkillers after being blown away in the second set, then going a break down in the third. 'I am definitely proper British because I can't handle the heat,' the eighth seed joked afterwards. 'It was killing me.' But Boulter came back from the dead to break back for 4-4 in the deciding set, then went on to seal a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 win and set up a quarter-final today against American McCartney Kessler. 'This is as close as home can ever feel like for me,' said the world No 39, who confirmed she has entered the US Open mixed doubles with her fiance Alex de Minaur. 'I literally feel like I step into my house when I come on to this court. 'At the very end, I just wanted to grit my teeth as hard as I could and get over the line.' Boulter will reclaim the British No 1 spot if she reaches another final in Nottingham, having been displaced by Emma Raducanu last week. However, she expects Kartal to soon surpass her in the rankings. Kartal was ranked as low as 271st at the start of last year's grass-court season. But the 23-year-old has enjoyed an astonishing rise in the past 12 months to soar into the world top 50 for the first time. 'I am going into Wimbledon feeling super confident,' said Kartal. 'My goal was to end the year top 50, so I am proud to have done it halfway through. 'To have three Brits close together in the rankings, the No 1 spot is in the back of our minds. It is really good to have that rivalry.' British 17-year-old Mimi Xu lost 7-5, 6-1 to Polish sixth seed Magda Linette in her debut WTA tournament. Defeat came a day after she sat a biology A-level exam - and was handed a wildcard for Wimbledon. 'After my match on Tuesday, I was just in revision mode and I didn't think about tennis until after the exam,' said Xu. 'To get the news about the wildcard was amazing. I was so happy.'
BBC News
16 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Boulter passes Kartal test to reach Nottingham quarters
Katie Boulter had to dig deep to beat Sonay Kartal in an all-British tie and keep her bid for a third straight Nottingham Open title on trailed in the deciding set and almost went a double break down before regrouping to win 6-4 1-6 7-5 and reach the seed Boulter also called for the doctor during the match after struggling with the hot weather."I am definitely proper British because I can't handle the heat at all," the 28-year-old said."I'm just glad I got over the line."Boulter is on a 12-match winning streak in Nottingham, having won her first WTA Tour title in the city two years Englishwoman will now face American McCartney Kessler for a place in the last four."I feel like I step into my house when I come on to this court. I have such great vibes here," Boulter is the last Briton in the women's singles after Welsh teenager Mimi Xu was beaten by Poland's Magda Linette earlier on Thursday World number 39 Boulter said before the match that she expected Kartal, who is just 11 places behind her in the rankings, would surpass her at some started strongly, breaking Kartal for a 5-4 lead before serving out the opening set, but her opponent reeled off five games in a row on her way to taking the quickly found herself trailing in the third set and Kartal had a break point for a 5-2 Boulter rallied, first holding serve, then breaking for 4-4 and breaking again as Kartal served to force a tie-break."I have so much respect for Sonay, she is such a tough competitor," Boulter said."I just wanted to grit my teeth as hard as I could and get myself over the line."
Times
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Times
Katie Boulter overcomes heat to beat Sonay Kartal at Nottingham Open
Katie Boulter is on home territory at the Nottingham Open, returning to courts she has played on since childhood, but even the British No2 was surprised at the problems posed by temperatures of 28C as she battled to a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 victory over Sonay Kartal. She was less surprised by the stiff challenge posed by Kartal, the upwardly mobile British No3 who has risen rapidly up the rankings in the past year. Although grass is not her favoured surface, she forced Boulter to dig deep to keep alive her hopes of a third consecutive victory in this tournament. After Boulter had moved smoothly through the first set, Kartal hit back to dominate the second and build a 4-2 lead in the third. But Boulter kept her cool and rediscovered her rhythm, with the help of a few ice towels and the local support, putting pressure back on Kartal's serve, edging a compelling contest that lasted 2hr 26min, sapping the energy of both players.
Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Boulter battles past Kartal to keep Nottingham hat-trick bid alive
Tennis - Nottingham Open - Nottingham Tennis Centre, Nottingham, Britain - June 19, 2025 Britain's Katie Boulter reacts during her round of 16 match against Britain's Sonay Kartal Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers REUTERS Tennis - Nottingham Open - Nottingham Tennis Centre, Nottingham, Britain - June 19, 2025 Britain's Katie Boulter reacts during her round of 16 match against Britain's Sonay Kartal Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers REUTERS Tennis - Nottingham Open - Nottingham Tennis Centre, Nottingham, Britain - June 19, 2025 Britain's Katie Boulter reacts during her round of 16 match against Britain's Sonay Kartal Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers REUTERS NOTTINGHAM, England - Two-times defending champion Katie Boulter was given a real scare before battling past fellow Briton Sonay Kartal 6-4 1-6 7-5 to reach the Nottingham Open quarter-finals on Thursday. Boulter was pushed all the way by Kartal, who held a 4-2 lead in the decider, but the champion roared back to extend her winning run in the competition to 12 matches despite struggling in the heat. "I have so much respect for Sonay, she is such a tough competitor and I also know she's never going to give me anything at any point," Boulter said. "I know she's going to surpass me at some point, she's got the game for it, she's got the head for it. I'm going to have to face that fact. "But at the very end I just wanted to grit my teeth as hard as I possibly could and get myself over the line. I have such great vibes here but the heat was killing me today. "I am definitely proper British because I can't handle the heat at all." Boulter will face McCartney Kessler next after the American defeated China's Zhu Lin 6-1 6-4, and is the only British player left in the competition after Mingge Xu lost 7-5 6-1 to Polish sixth seed Magda Linette. Linette now meets Danish second seed Clara Tauson, who advanced after a 6-4 6-4 win over Russian Anna Blinkova. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Boulter battles past Kartal to keep Nottingham hat-trick bid alive
NOTTINGHAM, England, June 19 (Reuters) - Two-times defending champion Katie Boulter was given a real scare before battling past fellow Briton Sonay Kartal 6-4 1-6 7-5 to reach the Nottingham Open quarter-finals on Thursday. Boulter was pushed all the way by Kartal, who held a 4-2 lead in the decider, but the champion roared back to extend her winning run in the competition to 12 matches despite struggling in the heat. "I have so much respect for Sonay, she is such a tough competitor and I also know she's never going to give me anything at any point," Boulter said. "I know she's going to surpass me at some point, she's got the game for it, she's got the head for it. I'm going to have to face that fact. "But at the very end I just wanted to grit my teeth as hard as I possibly could and get myself over the line. I have such great vibes here but the heat was killing me today. "I am definitely proper British because I can't handle the heat at all." Boulter will face McCartney Kessler next after the American defeated China's Zhu Lin 6-1 6-4, and is the only British player left in the competition after Mingge Xu lost 7-5 6-1 to Polish sixth seed Magda Linette. Linette now meets Danish second seed Clara Tauson, who advanced after a 6-4 6-4 win over Russian Anna Blinkova.
