In a marathon day, Boulter defeats Raducanu and Pliskova to retain her Nottingham title.
Not 30 On Championship Sunday, Katie Boulter defeated former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in back-to-back sets to successfully defend her title at the Rothesay Open. In the championship match, Boulter defeated Pliskova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
“To be honest, I had very little expectations going into this week—I just wanted to come out and have fun,” Boulter stated.
“I am not really sure how I managed to come out here, play some really good tennis, and cross the finish line. However, I am really proud of myself because I went back-to-back.”
Boulter has three championships with Nottingham overall, including two this season. Earlier in the year, she triumphed on San Diego’s hard courts for the first time.
With a fantastic performance in Nottingham last year, Boulter took home her first Hologic WTA Tour title. Her continued rise was sparked by the victory, which propelled the native of Leicester back into the Top 100.
Including this season, Boulter has won two of his three championships with Nottingham. She had her first victory on the hard courts of San Diego earlier in the year.
Boulter’s outstanding performance at Nottingham the year before earned her her first Hologic WTA Tour title. After her victory, the native of Leicester surged back into the Top 100 and continued her upward trajectory, becoming the highest-ranked woman in Britain in the process.
Pliskova said, “It seems like something I have seen before.” I am not entirely sure if this is all in my head or if everything actually transpired as it did. It is incredible to be here now. I will always have a special place in my heart for it.
“This week has been the best of my life. mentally tough after a demanding clay-court season.”
On Sunday, the 27-year-old had to report to work after overcoming a two-set deficit to maintain his unbeaten record for the week. At the beginning of the day, she and Raducanu’s postponed semifinal matchup got back underway. Before play was halted for light on Saturday night, Raducanu defeated the other player 7-6(13) in a tense 80-minute first set.
Boulter said, “To be honest, I had pretty low expectations going into this week and just came out here and enjoy myself.”
“I am not really sure how I managed to come out here, play some really good tennis, and cross the finish line. However, I am really proud of myself because I went back-to-back.”
Boulter has won two titles this season and three overall with Nottingham. She won her first of the year earlier on the hard courts of San Diego.
Boulter won her first Hologic WTA Tour title in the previous year after an impressive performance at Nottingham. The Leicester native’s victory propelled her back into the Top 100 and ignited a steady ascent up the rankings, ultimately securing her position as the top-ranked woman in Britain.
Pliskova remarked, “This feels a little bit like deja vu.” “I do not know if this is all in my head or if it really happened as it happened. It feels amazing to be in this place. My heart will always hold a special place for it.
For me, this has been an amazing week. resilient mentally following a demanding clay-court season.”
Play resumed on Sunday afternoon, and Boulter won the Battle of the Brits 6-7(13), 6-3, 6-4, staging a physical comeback. This improved Boulter’s record against Raducanu to 2-0 after a three-hour and thirteen-minute match.
The first four meetings between Pliskova and Boulter had ended in a draw, with each match extending to a third set. The game on Sunday was the same. In the first set, Pliskova stormed back to take the lead in 39 minutes after Boulter broke early.
