A Katie Boulter has won back the British number one position after coming back to defeat Antonia Ruzic in three sets during the quarter-finals of the Japan Open.
A 30-year-old lost her top spot on Monday after Sonay Kartal reached the final in Wuhan, but she knew she could make up the 55-point gap by making it to the last four in Osaka.
Boulter Overtakes Kartal as a British No. 1, Stuns Ruzic in Osaka Quarter
Katie Boulter has taken back the Bretish number one position from Sonay Kartal after reaching the semi-finals of the Japan Open in Osaka.
Boulter came back from a tough position to beat Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic and made it to her third semi-final of the year.
She will face Katerina Siniakova in the next round.
Boulter was behind by a set and a break early in the second set, but she won 11 of the next 13 games to turn the match around.
Ruzic, who is ranked 91 in the world, broke back when Boulter was serving for the match, but Boulter remained steady to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in almost two hours.
After the match, Boulter said, “She’s a really good player, extremely tough to beat and came out extremely well.”
“I did extremely well to come back into it in the second set, but she was swinging hard and anything I was giving her wasn’t bothering her.
“Credit to her, I had to hang tough and find a way.
Actually in the end I started playing a bit better.
“I got a bit lucky in the middle of the second set but I stayed really hard and I did well to stay there.”
The “luck” Boulter was talking about was getting two net-cords in a row, which helped her take the lead 5-3 in the second set.
Boulter’s run in Osaka means she will return to the world’s top 50, at least reaching No 48 in the rankings before tomorrow’s semi-final.
Kartal had climbed to No 50 in the world after her amazing run to the biggest final of her career at the Wuhan Open, a WTA 1000 event, last week.
Boulter Set for Siniakova Semi-Final Showdown in Osaka
The 30-year-old Boulter will face the Czech world doubles number one, Siniakova, who is ranked No 86 in singles, in the semi-finals.
Boulter said, “She’s one hell of a player, really dangerous.
I know what to expect and it will be down to who gets the first strike in.
“I think it’s going to be a great match and I’ve got nothing to lose again.
I’m going to have to come prepared tomorrow.”
Boulter, who was the eighth seed in Japan, had previously made it to the semi-finals of Queen’s in June and won the title in Ostrava back in February.
The other semi-final in Osaka, a WTA 250 tournament, is an all-American match between top seed Ann Li and Ashlyn Krueger.
Is Katie Boulter the British number one?
Yes, Boulter has taken over as British number one after reaching Osaka semis.
Where is Katie Boulter playing?
She’s playing in the semi-finals of the Japan Open in Osaka.
