Katie Boulter to face Sonay Kartal at Nottingham Open
Boulter won her first WTA Tour title in the city two years ago before backing it up last year, and she began her quest for a third consecutive crown with an impressive 6-2 6-2 win over New Zealand's Lulu Sun.
Sun surprisingly reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, beating Emma Raducanu in the fourth round, but she has struggled to build on that and Boulter was in control from the start.
Right at home & winning with a smile ❣️@katiecboulter loves you all at the Lexus Nottingham Open #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/ee2oIc7EJz
— LTA (@the_LTA) June 17, 2025
'I wasn't feeling amazing coming into this match,' said Boulter, who put aside the disappointment of losing the British number one ranking to Raducanu, on the BBC.
'I felt like it's been quite windy the last couple of days, just been trying to find my rhythm. Just stepping out onto this court, already I feel I'm right back at home. That's a nice feeling to have.'
The 28-year-old, who hails from nearby Leicestershire, defeated close friend Jodie Burrage to win her first title in Nottingham and across the last two years has played six matches against compatriots at the event.
'I've played enough of them now,' said Boulter with a smile ahead of an intriguing contest against British number three Kartal.
'It's just another match for me. I have so much respect for Sonay, she's an incredible tennis player. I've always said to her she's going to pass my ranking.
'I know how good she can be and dangerous. We actually played a really close match on grass quite a few years ago so I know it's going to be an absolute battle.'
Kartal was also comfortable in her opening match, beating France's Leolia Jeanjean 6-3 6-4, while an all-British first-round contest went the way of Fran Jones, who defeated Harriet Dart 7-5 6-4.
A strong showing from the home contingent, meanwhile, was completed by teenager Mimi Xu, who marked her WTA Tour debut by beating American Katie Volynets 6-3 6-3.
The 17-year-old, ranked 350, overcame a gap of more than 250 places and is making a strong case for a Wimbledon main draw wild card.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Katie Boulter to face Sonay Kartal at Nottingham Open
Boulter won her first WTA Tour title in the city two years ago before backing it up last year, and she began her quest for a third consecutive crown with an impressive 6-2 6-2 win over New Zealand's Lulu Sun. Sun surprisingly reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, beating Emma Raducanu in the fourth round, but she has struggled to build on that and Boulter was in control from the start. Right at home & winning with a smile ❣️@katiecboulter loves you all at the Lexus Nottingham Open #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 — LTA (@the_LTA) June 17, 2025 'I wasn't feeling amazing coming into this match,' said Boulter, who put aside the disappointment of losing the British number one ranking to Raducanu, on the BBC. 'I felt like it's been quite windy the last couple of days, just been trying to find my rhythm. Just stepping out onto this court, already I feel I'm right back at home. That's a nice feeling to have.' The 28-year-old, who hails from nearby Leicestershire, defeated close friend Jodie Burrage to win her first title in Nottingham and across the last two years has played six matches against compatriots at the event. 'I've played enough of them now,' said Boulter with a smile ahead of an intriguing contest against British number three Kartal. 'It's just another match for me. I have so much respect for Sonay, she's an incredible tennis player. I've always said to her she's going to pass my ranking. 'I know how good she can be and dangerous. We actually played a really close match on grass quite a few years ago so I know it's going to be an absolute battle.' Kartal was also comfortable in her opening match, beating France's Leolia Jeanjean 6-3 6-4, while an all-British first-round contest went the way of Fran Jones, who defeated Harriet Dart 7-5 6-4. A strong showing from the home contingent, meanwhile, was completed by teenager Mimi Xu, who marked her WTA Tour debut by beating American Katie Volynets 6-3 6-3. The 17-year-old, ranked 350, overcame a gap of more than 250 places and is making a strong case for a Wimbledon main draw wild card.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Jack Draper laughs off snub as Emma Raducanu picks Carlos Alcaraz for US Open
Raducanu and world number two Alcaraz are among 16 big-name pairs announced by Flushing Meadows organisers on Tuesday. Asked if the two current British number ones could have got together instead, Draper said: 'A wise person once told me you should find the best partner – and that's what she did. I don't blame her at all for that. A STAR-STUDDED 🤩 lineup of teams have officially entered the reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Championship! More info: — US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 17, 2025 'He's obviously the best player in the world probably right now, along with (Jannik) Sinner. Great at doubles, as well. She's gone about and chose the best partner, for sure. Hopefully they do well.' Draper, currently world number six, has linked up with Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng of China. 'I think it's a good format for the players to get prepared for the US Open, having a shot at playing with another top player,' he added. 'Qinwen I know from the Tour. I have seen her around. Obviously a great player herself and has a really good game. 'It will be fun to get out there and play with her and see how we get on. It was me who messaged. It was nice to get that together and let's see how we get on.' Alcaraz, who joined Draper in the second round at Queen's Club on Tuesday, said: 'She's gonna be the boss! 'I'm super excited about it. I think it's going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament. 'I've known Emma since a really long time ago, so we know each other. I have a really good relationship with her. We are going to enjoy it, for sure. 'I will try to bring my doubles skill. We will try to win. But obviously it's going to be really, really fun.' It was announced earlier this year that the US Open mixed doubles event will be played over two days in the week before the main tournament. It was an attempt to attract more high-profile players, and it has certainly worked. As well as 'AlcaRad', Sinner will play with American Emma Navarro while other pairs include women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov, Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios, Novak Djokovic and fellow Serbian Olga Danilovic and off-court partners Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The event will take place on August 19 and 20, with the winners scooping a prize pot of one million US dollars (approximately £750,000). Not all the pairs announced on Tuesday might make the cut, with entries open until July 28. The top eight teams with the best combined singles ranking – which currently would not include Raducanu and Alcaraz – will qualify directly, with eight further teams given wildcard spots.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Jack Draper begins bid to emulate Andy Murray at Queen's Club with opening win
The British number one, seeded second at this year's HSBC Championships, is attempting to become only the second home men's singles winner in the Open era after Murray. Draper got his grass-court season off to a solid start on the Andy Murray Arena with a 6-3 6-1 win over American Jenson Brooksby, before poking fun at his mentor, who retired last year. What a start for @jackdraper0!!! 😍#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #HSBCChampionships — LTA (@the_LTA) June 17, 2025 'Can't get rid of this guy,' he joked. 'Andy is an unbelievable guy, someone I'm very inspired by and I wouldn't be where I am without him. 'I definitely miss him on the Tour. Thank you Andy, this court deserves to be named after you.' Draper narrowly avoided injuring himself when he chased down an overhead into the advertising hoardings on his first set point, but he dispatched the second with a clubbing forehand. The 23-year-old then fired down an eighth ace of the contest on his first match point before celebrating a dominant win and writing 'good to be home' on a camera lens. Draper, who will face Australian world number 21 Alexei Popyrin in the second round, revealed he suffered an injury scare ahead of the tournament after falling on the Queen's practice court. 'I feel good. I feel good now,' he added. 'Last week in training I had a little niggle. I had to have a break for a couple of days to see it through. 'I was training on the courts here and took a really heavy fall. I was limping around for a day or so, but it wasn't anything that was going to keep me from playing.' Top seed Carlos Alcaraz, playing his first match since his epic five-set triumph over Jannik Sinner in the French Open final nine days earlier, eased past Adam Walton 6-4 7-6 (4). Alcaraz was supposed to take on fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina but the 26-year-old, who got married at the weekend, withdrew through illness on Tuesday morning. The 2023 Queen's champion had been enjoying his own celebrations, jetting off to party island Ibiza following his Roland Garros success. The 22-year-old may have still been feeling the effects as he was not at his sharpest, but he still saw off Australian lucky loser Walton to extend his winning streak to 14 matches. Serving up the W ✅ 2023 champion @carlosalcaraz posts a 6-4, 7-6(4) scoreline 🆚 Walton @QueensTennis | #HSBCChampionships — ATP Tour (@atptour) June 17, 2025 He said: 'I had some days off and I made the most of it. To reset my mind a bit, to rest up. Then my mind is straight here. 'After the French Open, it's just a week to switch to grass so I don't have too much time. I would've liked to have more time to relax after the French. I've had a few days back home and a few days to get back here.' Sinner, playing in his first match since blowing those three Championship points in Paris, beat Germany's Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-3 to reach the last 16 in Halle.
