Katie Boutler stuns ninth seed Paula Badosa as tennis' biggest power couple is sent packing on first day of Wimbledon
Boulter made it a nightmare day for Badosa and her boyfriend
NOT BAD AT ALL Katie Boutler stuns ninth seed Paula Badosa as tennis' biggest power couple is sent packing on first day of Wimbledon
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KATIE BOULTER felt like a giddy child after the sweetest of victories on centre court to book a second round spot.
The British No.2 claimed an impressive 6-2 3-6 6-4 victory over No.9 seed Paula Badosa – a fourth top 10 scalp of her career.
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Katie Boulter fought in front of a partisan British crowd
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Paula Badosa rallied to take the second set
Credit: Getty
It booked a clash against Solana Sierra of Argentina on Wednesday as 28-year-old Boulter hopes to get past the third round of Wimbledon for the first time.
At 4-4 in the third set, it could have gone either way, and Boulter laughed: 'I didn't have any nerve and I was bricking it completely. I have played a lot of good stuff recently and let it slip.
'I just tried to fight and compete and hope she missed. I am thrilled.
'This court is the epitome of every British child's dreams of playing on and winning on. It's a dream come true. I saw the schedule and I was so excited. I felt like a little girl again.'
Boulter's victory completed a nightmare day for tennis power couple "Tsitsidosa" - Badosa and boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Earlier in the day, Tsitispas retired down two sets to French qualifier Valentin Royer.
The Greek called it a day trailing 6-3 6-2, having got the trainer out in the second set.
Following his disappointing defeat, Tsitsipas revealed: "It's probably the most difficult situation that I've ever been faced with, because it's an ongoing issue that doesn't seem to be disappearing or fading off as much.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas was forced to retire injured earlier today
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"Myself, as a person, I have a limit at some point, so I'll definitely have to have my final answer on whether I want to do stuff or not in the next couple of months.
"This is going to be hard, but if I see it going in that trajectory, there is no point at competing.
Former Grand Slam champion and one half of tennis power couple looks devastated at he retires at Wimbledon
"If I'm not healthy, and I've talked about health so many times, if health is not there, then your whole tennis life becomes miserable."
Harriet Dart was knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round as she lost 3-6 6-3 7-5 to Dalma Galfi.
Her Hungarian opponent was ranked 42 places above her, in 110th, so the favourite to win, but Dart was left disappointed by a defeat in which she had taken the first set 6-3 on Court 17.
Dart, a wildcard, made only 47 per cent of her first serves throughout the match, with the 28-year-old unable to repeat her run to last year's Wimbledon third round.
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The Guardian
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Katie Boulter fights back from the brink to topple ninth seed Paula Badosa
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