Boulter in action as Wimbledon gets under way
NO. 2 SEED MAY BE NEXT IF SHE CAN DEFEAT AMERICAN LAO
KATIE Boulter was starting her Wimbledon campaign this morning on Court 17 in south-west London.
The player from Woodhouse Eaves was given a wildcard to the tournament, where she was to face American Danielle Lao in one of the first matches.
Boulter, the British number eight was an injury doubt for Wimbledon after pulling out of the Viking Open Nottingham earlier this month with a right elbow injury.
World No. 262 Boulter won the first set against Lauren Davis before retiring two games into the second.
Her 30-year-old opponent today is ranked 238 in the world. The winner could face second seed Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the second round.
Big names including Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep have all withdrawn from the tournament, but another British hope, 19-year-old Jack Draper, will face top seed Novak Djokovic.
Draper showed his pedigree by reaching the quarter-finals at Queen’s Club last week.
However, Djokovic has not lost at Wimbledon since 2017.
Two years on from her spectacular emergence on to the world stage as a 15-year-old, Coco Gauff returns to Wimbledon as a legitimate title contender.
In the first round she will take on 20-year-old British debutant Francesca Jones, who wrote headlines across the world when she qualified for the Australian Open despite a condition that meant she was born without several fingers and toes.
French Open winner Ashleigh Barty will play Carla Suarez Navarro, who is in her final Wimbledon before retirement and is back on court following her recovery from cancer.