Katie Boulter reminded everyone why she is the British number one after beating Emma Raducanu in the battle of Britain at the Nottingham Open on her way back to the final.
Boulter is the defending champion at her home tournament and was up against it, having lost a marathon first set to Raducanu on Saturday night before bad light stopped play in their semi-final.
But the 27-year-old returned on Sunday and flexed her muscles with a dominant display to claim a 6-7 (13) 6-3 6-4 victory to have a shot at a second-successive title.
Finalist again in Nottingham! 🙌
Defending champ @katiecboulter wins an EPIC semi-final vs Emma Raducanu to book her spot in the #RothesayOpen final #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | @WTA pic.twitter.com/a4tJT2BDI7
— LTA (@the_LTA) June 16, 2024
She was too good for Raducanu on the resumption, outhitting her opponent with a flurry of winners and defending excellently as she outlined her status as the country’s top player in a three-hour-plus victory.
Raducanu was the queen of British tennis following her amazing US Open triumph in 2021, but injuries stopped her kicking on and in the meantime, Boulter has stolen her throne.
Boulter – ranked 30 in the world – will defend her Nottingham crown and claim a third WTA Tour title if she can beat Karolina Pliskova in the final later in the day.
“I am going to need a defib because my heart rate is too high now,” Boulter joked.
“What a match, what an incredible player. She is only going to get better and better, she makes it so tough to close it out.
“I am so happy to get through, I’m really proud of myself.
“It has been a really tough week for me. It has not been easy for me to get over the line. It is tough to come back as a defending champion, this is the first time I have done it but it is going OK so far.”
Raducanu (pictured) was unable to contain Boulter on Sunday (Mike Egerton/PA)
Pliskova, the 2016 champion, is undefeated at Nottingham and booked her spot in the final with a 6-7 (9) 6-1 6-4 win over Diane Parry.
Despite the semi-final defeat, it has been a positive week for Raducanu in her first tournament in seven weeks as she carefully manages her return following double wrist and ankle surgery last year.
She competed well throughout the week and looked strong physically, but came up against an opponent too good in Boulter.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here