Katie Boulter Advances at China Open, Eyes Next Challenge

Beijing, China – British tennis player Katie Boulter overcame a challenging match to defeat American Hailey Baptiste 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 at the China Open on Monday, marking a positive turn after a difficult few months.

The 29-year-old Boulter, currently ranked as Britain’s number two, faced tough competition after previous early exits at the Wimbledon and US Open. She was notably knocked out in the second round by Solana Sierra at Wimbledon and lost to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the first round of the US Open.

Despite letting a double break lead slip in the final set against Baptiste, Boulter managed to refocus and served for the victory. “I’ve had a tough couple of months,” Boulter said after the match. “I’m really pleased with how I’m now putting myself out there and fighting for every point.”

She praised Baptiste’s disruptive style, stating, “She was playing such disruptive tennis but I stayed mentally strong and found a way to get through it. I did well to get through that match.”

Boulter now looks forward to facing Amanda Anisimova, who was the runner-up at both Wimbledon and the US Open. This year has been mixed for Boulter, but she successfully tweaked her serve to help Great Britain reach the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals after defeating Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.

However, she lost her next singles match to world number seven Jessica Pegula as Britain was defeated 2-0 by the United States.

In other tennis news, Novak Djokovic confirmed his participation in the upcoming Shanghai Masters, marking his first appearance since his semi-final defeat at the US Open. The 38-year-old has been focusing on reducing his tournament schedule to safeguard his health in the latter years of his career.

Last year, Djokovic reached the final in Shanghai, but lost to then world number one Jannik Sinner. Both Sinner and the current top player Carlos Alcaraz will return to ATP Tour action this week in Beijing and Tokyo, respectively.