Boulter’s serve lets her down as Azarenka powers through

BRITISH hopes at the Miami Open ended for another year after Katie Boulter struggled to make inroads in windy conditions against the power of Victoria Azarenka, losing 7-5, 6-1.

Boulter is enjoying the breakout season of her career, but never fully found her rhythm in what was her first last-16 encounter at an ATP 1000 event.

The Briton fell 5-2 behind in the opening set, where her usually potent serve was far less consistent than of late.

She did well to level at five apiece, but any hopes that might shift the momentum of the match faded as she was broken again, held serve just once more and lost in one hour 47 minutes. Her boyfriend, Australian player Alex de Minaur, joined her box for the second set only to witness five consecutive lost games by the British No1, who has risen to 30th in the world off the back of her results this year.

When Boulter finally registered a service-game win, it was a case of too little, too late, a string of five double faults, an inability to read the conditions and her Belarusian opponent’s accuracy all proving architects in her downfall.

Boulter (left, in action) had been the sole British woman in the main draw in Miami, following Emma Raducanu’s late injury withdrawal. There were a string of surprise results overnight, as world No1 Iga Swiatek struggled for her best form in a 6-4, 6-2 loss to Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova. And another of this year’s form players, Coco Gauff, was also sent packing in a topsy-turvy 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 defeat against France’s Caroline Garcia.