Brave Boulter edged out by classy Kvitova

KATIE Boulter pushed two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova all the way but saw her Eastbourne run end after a 5-7 6-0 7-5 loss.

The world No 127 had knocked out Karolina Pliskova in the previous round to continue her impressive summer on grass and claimed the opener on Centre Court to move within one set of the quarter-finals.

But Kvitova showed her class during the second and held her nerve in the decider at Devonshire Park to dump out Boulter, who will now turn her attention to

Wimbledon. British No 4 Boulter started slowly in round two and a double-fault in her first service game gave her Czech opponent an early break.

The 32-year-old looked on course to take the opening set, before the Briton stormed back in fine fashion to reel off five consecutive games to clinch it 7-5.

Kvitova, a former world No 2, upped her level in the next set and even a second brief stoppage for a medical emergency in the crowd could not halt her momentum as she served out a bagel to Boulter.

Admirably, the home favourite regrouped but was decisively broken when she attempted to force a tie-breaker to lose in two hours and 23 minutes.

Cameron Norrie eased past Brandon Nakashima 6-4 6-2 earlier in the day for his first win on grass this summer.

The British No 1 had suffered a shock early exit at Queen’s Club last week but produced an accomplished display against his American opponent, breaking serve three times.

A first break occurred in the sixth game of the match, with two stunning forehand winners followed by an overhead smash.

It saw Norrie take control of the second-round tie and two early breaks in the second set secured a routine victory clinched with yet another sumptuous forehand winner rushing into the net.

“I love coming here, so glad I could enjoy it and play great,” world No 12 Norrie said on-court.

“It would have been nice to go deeper at Queen’s.

“But I am now looking to get some more matches and time on the grass before Wimbledon here.”

There will be no all-British meeting in the quarter-finals, though, after Dan Evans was knocked out by Maxime Cressy 7-6 6-4.

Evans lost the first set on a tiebreak and a close second went the way of the American.

Katie Boulter lost to two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova.

Cameron Norrie is ninth seed at Wimbledon. See story, right.

Dryburgh Athletic Girls (maroon) drew 3-3 with Dunfermline in the SWF East Caroline Weir U/14 League at Lochee Park.

Dryburgh Athletic (maroon) beat Alloa Athletic 6-3 in the SWFL North/East at Lochee Park.