Katie Boulter Stuns Paula Badosa to Advance in Wimbledon

London, England – British tennis player Katie Boulter achieved a significant victory on Monday, defeating ninth-seeded Paula Badosa in the first round of Wimbledon with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. The match began later than planned due to delays from Carlos Alcaraz‘s five-set match, starting at 6:40 PM.

Boulter, ranked 43rd in the world, struggled initially with her service game but displayed remarkable resilience. After a strong start, she faced challenges in the second set, where consecutive double faults caused her to lose her serve to Badosa. However, Boulter rallied in the deciding set, breaking back immediately after falling behind to re-establish her control.

“I was bricking it completely,” Boulter said after the match. “I’ve played a lot of matches recently where I started out great but then kind of let it slip. I just tried to compete today, fight, hope for the best.”

The victory marks Boulter’s fourth win against a top-10 player and her second at a Grand Slam tournament. She previously defeated Karolina Pliskova last year at Wimbledon. “The moment I stepped out here, it just reminded me of that from the first ball,” she added, referring to her past accomplishments on Centre Court.

Boulter, now looking to make a deep run at her home Grand Slam, will move on to face Argentina’s Solana Sierra in the second round. Sierra, a lucky loser, secured her spot in the draw by defeating Olivia Gadecki earlier in the day.

Boulter’s win contributed to an impressive start for British players at Wimbledon, with seven advancing in a single day, marking a record in the Open era. The support from the home crowd was palpable as Boulter closed out the match, solidifying her joy on one of tennis’s biggest stages.