Boulter crashes out in first round of US Open
KATIE Boulter was knocked out in the first round of the US Open after making her main draw debut under the lights at Flushing Meadows, writes Neil Phillips.
The 25-year-old, from Woodhouse Eaves, was overpowered by the hard-hitting Russian, world no.52 Ludmilla Samsonova, 6-3 6-2.
It was a disappointing end to Boulter’s first appearance in the Grand Slam.
She had shown considerable grit to battle through three rounds of qualifying in New York’s heat and humidity to make the main draw.
But with a heavily bandaged right arm, Boulter failed to match the power of Samsonova whose early break of serve put her 3-1 up in the first set.
Boulter immediately had four break-back points but failed to convert any of them and, although she saved three set points in the next game, Samsonova’s impressive serving helped her close out the set.
The 22-year-old Russian came out confidently at the start of the second and immediately broke world no.190 Boulter.
Samsonova kept hold of the momentum and continued to threaten before a second break gave her a chance to serve for the match and she slammed down a forehand at the net to seal her place in the second round. The only Briton left in the main draw is 18-year-old Emma Raducanu.
Despite being a break down in each set, she won 6-2 6-3 against experienced Swiss opponent Stefanie Vogele.
Raducanu’s composed display ended with a slight wobble as she needed a seventh matchpoint to secure her spot in round two.
The teenager, who now faces China’s Zhang Shuai, told Amazon Prime: “Everyone could tell I was getting shaky at the end, I was so relieved at the end of it.
“I feel really good physically and confident in my game. I’m excited to see how far I can go.”