Latest news with #Tomljanovic
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
British number one Katie Boulter edges past Ajla Tomljanovic at Queen's
The 28-year-old, who secured a doubles victory alongside compatriot Emma Raducanu on Monday, was broken in her opening game, but found herself in a position to serve for the set after taking a 5-3 advantage. But Tomljanovic immediately broke back, eventually forcing an opening set tiebreak in which she was edged out by an emphatic winner from Boulter. There's no place like home 🏡@katiecboulter kicks off her grass season with a gritty win over Tomljanovic, 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-4!#HSBCChampionships — wta (@WTA) June 10, 2025 Tomljanovic held the first game of the second set before Boulter, who struggled with her first serves, bounced back from a pair of double faults to make it 1-1. The qualifier then seized control, winning five straight games to force a deciding set, and made it six games in a row when she claimed the first game of the third. Boulter began to swing the contest in her favour, breaking Tomljanovic's serve three times to make it 5-4 and, with the Australian serving to stay in it, digging deep to see herself through after nearly two-and-a-half hours. The WTA 500 event marks the first time in 52 years Queen's has hosted women's tennis. 'When I walked out it actually surpassed what I thought it would feel like when I kind of imagined it,' said Boulter, after sealing the win at the newly-christened Andy Murray Arena. 'That was really nice, and it was great to see that there were loads of people here today watching and supporting, and that actually just means a lot to me as a person and a player, and I know it does to a lot of the girls who are here and fighting and working their butts off.' Boulter has sat in the stands here before watching fiancee Alex de Minaur, who was in attendance, and confessed the vice versa initially felt 'weird.' 'I feel like I had a lot of emotions today,' she added. 'I think it's very easy to get caught up in just trying to get your first grass court match, also coming to such an historic venue as well, which holds a lot of purpose and a lot of familiar feelings when I've come here before. 'I'm mostly grateful to be here and to be playing this tournament, and hopefully I can just be here for a bit longer. ' Earlier, Heather Watson set up a second-round meeting with fourth seed and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina after upsetting world number 27 Yulia Putintseva, 107 places above her in the rankings, 6-4 6-3. Former British number one Watson won all four of her break points to see off her Kazakh opponent in an hour and 22 minutes.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Katie Boulter overcomes serving woes to battle into Queen's second round
Katie Boulter is through to the second round - Getty Images /Luke Walker Katie Boulter served nine double faults but still had enough to beat Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 to reach the second round at Queen's. A day after enjoying victory as part of the 'Boultercanu' double act, this time around, Boulter had to dig deep on Andy Murray Arena. She powered down five aces and took the first set on a tie-break but her serve was not as reliable in the second half of the contest. Advertisement Momentum shifted constantly in the deciding set, with four consecutive breaks of serve, and at one point, Boulter could be heard yelling 'thank you' after saving a break point. In the end, the British No 1 had just enough to pip her Australian opponent and delight the home crowd, who filed into the 7,700 seater stadium. Elsewhere, Heather Watson secured a fine straight sets win over Yulia Putintseva – prevailing 6-4, 6-3 against a player ranked 137 places above her – with the reward a showdown against Elena Rybakina in the second round. Full report to come... 03:48 PM BST Next up Can Raducanu make it two wins from two for British tennis in singles? Advertisement Click here to follow Will Conroy's game-by-game coverage. 03:41 PM BST Boulter reacts I was battling really hard out there. I know how good Ajla is. She has made many quarter-finals at slams and she is very good on this surface. It is never easy coming straight from the clay to the grass and I'm just happy to get through and feel very grateful for all of you guys [for the support]. It was really difficult. I did feel like I was battling my own mind at times, this surface can do that to you. I didn't feel like I served that great, and I have room to improve, but I'm just happy to be through to the second round. I came out yesterday to watch Andy get his first court [named after him], which is special in itself. To get the women back here [at Queen's] feels very special. It's actually something I dreamt of, having come here the last couple of years to watch the men play, so I'm just really grateful to be on this court. 03:39 PM BST WATCH: The winning moment for Boulter 03:30 PM BST Boulter 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 Tomljanovic* Nervy double fault by Tomljanovic to start the game. Low backhand pass by Boulter, Tomljanovic volley sits up nicely for Boulter to step in and drill a backhand down the line, 0-30. Boulter shanks a forehand wide, 15-30. Deep return by Boulter rushes Tomljanovic and Australian sends a backhand long, two match points. Backhand to backhand exchange between the players, Boulter gets the edge and drills a backhand down the line which is too hot for Tomljanovic and her forehand flies long. Advertisement GAME SET MATCH BOULTER!! 03:25 PM BST Boulter* 7-6, 1-6, 5-4 Tomljanovic Boulter has got just 52 per cent of her first serves into play and it's no shock when she hits another double fault, 15-15. A first serve down the T is too much for Tomljanovic and prompts a big roar from the Briton, 40-15. And she completes a gritty hold with a backhand winner down the line. Now she can get after Tomljanovic's serve in the next game. 03:22 PM BST Boulter 7-6, 1-6, 4-4 Tomljanovic* It's been 20 minutes since we've had a hold of serve but we finally have one and it goes the way of Tomljanovic. She holds to 15 when Boulter sprays a backhand wide. 03:17 PM BST Boulter* 7-6, 1-6, 4-3 Tomljanovic Boulter places a forehand will wide of the court, 15-30. Boulter backhand into the net and two chances for Tomljanovic to hit right back. Advertisement Deep Tomljanovic return and Boulter nets again on the backhand wing. Tomljanovic breaks. 03:14 PM BST Boulter 7-6, 1-6, 4-2 Tomljanovic* This match has been short on quality but filled with drama. So it's no surprise that Tomljanovic is broken again after a double fault. Can Boulter hold serve now? 03:08 PM BST Boulter* 7-6, 1-6, 3-2 Tomljanovic Huge 'come on' from Boulter after she rips a forehand into the corner, 30-15. Back comes Tomljanovic with an enormous forehand of her own, 30-all. Tomljanovic taking big swings again and she rushes Boulter into an error. Boulter backhand long and we have another twist in this topsy turvy match. Advertisement Tomljanovic breaks. 03:03 PM BST Boulter 7-6, 1-6, 3-1 Tomljanovic* Boulter's momentum continues and now Tomljanovic is facing two more break points on her serve. Boulter keeps herself in the point, turns defence into attack and gets the forehand error from Tomljanovic. Boulter breaks. 02:59 PM BST Boulter* 7-6, 1-6, 2-1 Tomljanovic No problems on serve in this game for Boulter. She holds to love with a forehand winner and I'm wondering where has this been for the last 40 minutes. She is like a completely different player. 02:56 PM BST Boulter 7-6, 1-6, 1-1 Tomljanovic* Tomljanovic is playing with so much freedom and giving Boulter no time to react as she moves to 40-15. But all of a sudden, her level drops and she now faces a break point after a double fault. Advertisement And Boulter bounces back, going on the attack and off a short ball by Tomljanovic, she flicks a forehand into the corner. 02:51 PM BST Boulter* 7-6, 1-6, 0-1 Tomljanovic Double fault by Boulter to start the set. She's really struggling on serve at the moment. Excellent depth from Tomljanovic and Boulter nets a forehand, 15-30. Yet another double fault means Tomljanovic has two break points. She saves the first break point and then the second when Tomljanovic sprays a forehand return log. Aggressive shotmaking by Tomljanovic. An approach to the net is good and she puts a forehand volley away comfortably. Third break point. Advertisement Tense rally ensues and Boulter blinks first, pushing a forehand long. Tomljanovic breaks to claim her sixth game in a row. 02:43 PM BST Boulter 7-6, 1-6 Tomljanovic* Shanked forehand by Boulter flies high and wide of the court, 30-all. Timely first serve by Tomljanovic and Boulter nets her return. Tomljanovic ace down the T and Boulter will need three sets to win this. 02:41 PM BST Boulter* 7-6, 1-5 Tomljanovic Another double fault by Boulter, 0-30. But crucially she hits back to move to 30-all. Deep Tomljanovic return rushes Boulter into another error, break point. Tomljanovic duly gets the double break when Boulter nets a backhand. 02:35 PM BST Boulter 7-6, 1-4 Tomljanovic* Tomljanovic has having a purple patch right now. Striking the ball very clean, with good margin for error. She crushes a forehand down the line to hold. 02:33 PM BST Boulter* 7-6, 1-3 Tomljanovic Three errors in a row by Boulter and Tomljanovic has three break points. Boulter saves the first and has a chance to save the second but places her backhand into the tramlines. Advertisement The shot didn't need to be that good. She misjudged it and that's proven costly. Tomljanovic breaks. 02:30 PM BST 'The Pimms jugs have started to make an appearance' As we get further into the afternoon the pimms jugs have started to make an appearance, as have more fans. The Andy Murray Arena is slowly filling up to watch Boulter in action as she manages to survive another double fault. 02:29 PM BST Boulter 7-6, 1-2 Tomljanovic* Stress free service hold from Tomljanovic as she showcases her power. The Australian has not given up on this match. 02:25 PM BST Boulter* 7-6, 1-1 Tomljanovic Deep return by Tomljanovic and Boulter slices a defensive backhand into the net. 15-30. The sun has come out in west London and is posing a small problem for Boulter with her ball toss. Advertisement Boulter gets low and whips a backhand into the corner for a winner, 40-30. Textbook shot making by the Briton. But she follows it up with a double fault. Boulter is making heavy weather of the service game, she is up to five double faults now. But she finds a much needed ace, the ball arching away from 'Tomljanovic', to hold. 02:17 PM BST Second set: Boulter 7-6, 0-1 Tomljanovic* Boulter will be keen to put her foot on the accelerator and break Tomljanovic here but the Australian resists and holds. Katie Boulter took the opening set - Getty Images/Dan Istitene 02:11 PM BST TIE-BREAK - Boulter 7-6 Tomljanovic Boulter backhand into the net, 3-4. Tomljanovic forehand into the net, 4-4. Good first serve by Boulter unreturned. 5-4. Advertisement 'Come on' from Boulter after Tomljanovic puts a backhand long, 6-4. Boulter seals the set with a cross court forehand winner, 7-4. 02:08 PM BST TIE-BREAK - Boulter 6-6 Tomljanovic Tomljanovic return wide, 1-0. Tomljanovic ace, 1-1.A jammy drop shot winner from Boulter, 2-1. Boulter double fault, 2-2. Boulter hits back with an ace, 3-2. Boulter return wide, 3-3. 02:04 PM BST Boulter 6-6 Tomljanovic* Must hold service game for the Australian if she wants to force a tie-break. Good second serve by Tomljanovic, Boulter somehow gets the ball into play and Tomljanovic nets a short forehand, 0-30. Class by Tomljanovic to hit a deft volley off a Boulter backhand cross. And her big serve keeps her out of damage. Advertisement Into a tie-break we go!!! 01:57 PM BST Boulter* 6-5 Tomljanovic When Boulter gets her first serve in, she is in tough to bear. Especially on this serve. A couple of double fault put Boulter under threat by 40-30 but she holds again when Tomljanovic strikes a wild forehand long. 01:54 PM BST Boulter 5-5 Tomljanovic* Tomljanovic is well in this match now. Similar game styles, cancelling each other out. The Australian stands firm and prolongs the set. 01:51 PM BST Boulter* 5-4 Tomljanovic Tomljanovic responds again and get break points at 15-40. Boulter saves the first with an ace but Tomljanovic breaks again when Boulter sends a backhand long. Advertisement This has been a topsy-turvy match so far. 01:48 PM BST Boulter 5-3 Tomljanovic* A double fault and backhand into the net gives Boulter a look at breaking. Tomljanovic beats Boulter with a backhand cross court but can't find the sideline. Three break points. Tomljanovic saves the first but Boulter earns the break after a forehand error. 01:43 PM BST Boulter* 4-3 Tomljanovic Clenched fist and a 'come on' shout from Boulter after a crushing a cross court forehand pass for a winner. forehand by Boulter is punished by Tomljanovic, who drills a flat backhand into the corner, deuce. Boom. Tomljanovic nails a backhand winner earn a break point. Saved again by Boulter, who finds a first serve and draws the error. Advertisement Another chance for Tomljanovic to break here. Brilliant second serve by Boulter into the corner to see out the danger. And she escapes with the game when Tomljanovic strikes a forehand long. 01:34 PM BST Boulter 3-3 Tomljanovic* Tomljanovic follows Boulter with a comfortable service game of their own. Andy Murray Arena is gradually livening up. 01:33 PM BST 'Crowd is quite subdued' After the early breaks of serve, both players just seem to be settling into this match and the occasion. The crowd is quite subdued, even when Boulter does win a point and the main arena is maybe only a touch over half full. 01:28 PM BST Boulter* 3-2 Tomljanovic First two aces of the match for Boulter as she moves to 40-0. When her serve is flowing and finding its spot, it is very tough to deal with. 01:26 PM BST Boulter 2-2 Tomljanovic* Boulter's first strike tennis is causing some problems from Tomljanovic. The Australian is being rushed by the length of the Briton's shots. Must she manage to come through another game. 01:21 PM BST Boulter* 2-1 Tomljanovic Boulter's boyfriend Alex de Minuar is sitting courtside and showing his support. He applauds as Boulter completes the first hold of serve to love. Advertisement A glimpse of what she is capable of on this surface. 01:18 PM BST Boulter 1-1 Tomljanovic* Back comes Boulter. She earns two immediate break point chance. A deep backhand rushes Tomljanovic and the Aussie's backhand drifts wide. Boulter breaks amd we're back level. 01:14 PM BST First set: Katie Boulter* 0-1 Ajla Tomljanovic (*denotes server) This will be a tough opening test for Boulter against Tomljanovic. This is the third meeting and Tomljanovic leads the head-to-head 2-1. Long lay-offs from injury have hampered her progress but she is capable of making things difficult. Fittingly, the Australian earns a break point here after a deep return forces the Briton into an error. Boulter saves it but gifts Tomljanovic another chance with a backhand into the net. Advertisement Tomljanovic's return is short and Boulter has to scamper forward. She gets there in time but whips her forehand long. Tomljanovic breaks. 12:57 PM BST 'Ominous grey clouds' The rain is holding off so far as the fans await the arrival of Katie Boulter onto centre court – or the recently renamed Andy Murray Arena. It is under half full at the moment, but more might come in throughout the afternoon. However, more ominously are the grey clouds currently sitting overhead, although it is not raining – at least not yet. 12:56 PM BST Sign up to our Telegraph Sport newsletter 12:44 PM BST British No 1 in action Hello and welcome to coverage from Queen's, where a women's tournament is being staged for the first time since 1973. Advertisement Our focus here will be on the British No 1 Katie Boulter, who takes on Australian Ajla Tomljanovic on Andy Murray Arena. A high-quality field has been assembled in south west London including Olympic champion Quinwen Zheng, reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, current Australian Open champion Madison Keys and former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina. The inaugural version of the revamped event will boast total prize money of $1.415 million, the highest for a WTA 500 event of its draw size on the Tour, with the singles champion receiving a cool $164,000 and Boulter says the sense of excitement is sweeping through. 'You can feel how excited everyone is,' she said. 'Getting the chance to play here is an absolute privilege so I'm going to enjoy every minute of it. Advertisement 'I've come here quite a bit watching tennis and I've got some good memories of coming and watching Alex (De Minaur) over the last few years. I've always said to myself, I wish there was a women's event here, I wish I had the chance to play on this court. 'You can feel the history, you can feel how incredible it is. I've seen this court packed and obviously it's new this year, which is going to be a really interesting moment for me because I think I'm going to feel a lot of support from the British crowd. I'm going to get a lot of emotions coming out of me at that point.' Grass is a surface where Boulter has secured some of her best results in the past – namely, her back-to-back titles in Nottingham over the last two seasons. In her first event back from the clay, the Briton is hoping she can build some momentum this week to kick-start her favourite time of the season. Advertisement 'Coming into the grass court season it's a completely clean slate,' Boulter explained. 'For the first week on grass there are no expectations. Obviously coming to a WTA 500 at an incredible event it does bring out stress a little bit more and I want to do well here, but I know it's my first week and I'm trying to build towards Wimbledon as well.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
British number one Katie Boulter edges past Ajla Tomljanovic at Queen's
The 28-year-old, who secured a doubles victory alongside compatriot Emma Raducanu on Monday, was broken in her opening game, but found herself in a position to serve for the set after taking a 5-3 advantage. But Tomljanovic immediately broke back, eventually forcing an opening set tiebreak in which she was edged out by an emphatic winner from Boulter. There's no place like home 🏡@katiecboulter kicks off her grass season with a gritty win over Tomljanovic, 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-4!#HSBCChampionships — wta (@WTA) June 10, 2025 Tomljanovic held the first game of the second set before Boulter, who struggled with her first serves, bounced back from a pair of double faults to make it 1-1. The qualifier then seized control, winning five straight games to force a deciding set, and made it six games in a row when she claimed the first game of the third. Boulter began to swing the contest in her favour, breaking Tomljanovic's serve three times to make it 5-4 and, with the Australian serving to stay in it, digging deep to see herself through after nearly two-and-a-half hours. The WTA 500 event marks the first time in 52 years Queen's has hosted women's tennis. 'When I walked out it actually surpassed what I thought it would feel like when I kind of imagined it,' said Boulter, after sealing the win at the newly-christened Andy Murray Arena. 'That was really nice, and it was great to see that there were loads of people here today watching and supporting, and that actually just means a lot to me as a person and a player, and I know it does to a lot of the girls who are here and fighting and working their butts off.' Boulter has sat in the stands here before watching fiancee Alex de Minaur, who was in attendance, and confessed the vice versa initially felt 'weird.' 'I feel like I had a lot of emotions today,' she added. 'I think it's very easy to get caught up in just trying to get your first grass court match, also coming to such an historic venue as well, which holds a lot of purpose and a lot of familiar feelings when I've come here before. 'I'm mostly grateful to be here and to be playing this tournament, and hopefully I can just be here for a bit longer. ' Earlier, Heather Watson set up a second-round meeting with fourth seed and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina after upsetting world number 27 Yulia Putintseva, 107 places above her in the rankings, 6-4 6-3. Former British number one Watson won all four of her break points to see off her Kazakh opponent in an hour and 22 minutes.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
One Australian happy as Brit beats Aussie at Queen's
The Australian attempt to maintain a women's finals streak that dated back more than half-a-century at Queen's is over, but one Australian is happy about that. In normal circumstances Alex de Minaur, the Australian men's No.1, would be expected to back Ajla Tomljanovic, but not when she's playing his fiancee, British No.1 Katie Boulter. On a court he knows very well having reached the men's final in 2023, Boulter put the watching de Minaur through the wringer as she battled past Tomljanovic despite losing more games. How are the nerves, @alexdeminaur? 😅Watching fiancé Katie Boulter in a tense third set before he returns for @atptour action next week!#HSBCChampionships — HSBC Championships (@QueensTennis) June 10, 2025 Roared on by the London crowd Boulter overcame a superb middle set by Tomljanovic to win 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-4 in a see-saw match lasting well over two hours. With Maddison Inglis beaten by No.6 seed Karolina Muchova 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-4, and Daria Kasatkina knocked out on Monday, all three Australians were KO'd in the opening round. The women's event at Queens has been revived after a 52-year gap, having closed with four Australians in succession reaching the final from 1970-1973. Two wins by Margaret Court were followed by defeats for Karen Krantzcke and Evonne Goolagong (now Cawley). At one point it seemed Tomljanovic, who came through qualifying as she continues her attempt to climb back up the rankings following a series of injuries, would stay in contention to maintain that run. Edged out in an hour-long opening set she blitzed Boulter in the second winning five matches in succession. Her trademark powerful groundstrokes were in evidence as she pushed Boulter deep and pulled her wide, building on a series of excellent serves. An immediate break in the third set seemed to set Tomljanovic up for victory but her serve faltered and Boulter bit back. Nevertheless, her purple patch was encouraging as the current Aussie No.3 readies herself for Wimbledon, where she was a quarter-finalist in 2021 and 2022. Boulter admitted it was 'weird' having de Minaur watching her on court at Queens having previously only watched him play there. "I feel like I had a lot of emotions today," she added. "It's very easy to get caught up in just trying to get your first grass court match, also coming to such an historic venue which holds a lot of purpose and a lot of familiar feelings when I've come here before." Inglis was unlucky in that her match was suspended on Monday evening due to failing light when she had momentum. On resumption she fought hard but Muchova won her only break point while Inglis failed to take the two she created. On a good day for the home fans Heather Watson upset world No. 27 Yulia Putintseva, 107 places above her in the rankings, 6-4 6-3 and Emma Raducana made short work of Cristina Bucsa 6-1 6-2.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- Sport
- West Australian
One Australian happy as Brit beats Aussie at Queen's
The Australian attempt to maintain a women's finals streak that dated back more than half-a-century at Queen's is over, but one Australian is happy about that. In normal circumstances Alex de Minaur, the Australian men's No.1, would be expected to back Ajla Tomljanovic, but not when she's playing his fiancee, British No.1 Katie Boulter. On a court he knows very well having reached the men's final in 2023, Boulter put the watching de Minaur through the wringer as she battled past Tomljanovic despite losing more games. Roared on by the London crowd Boulter overcame a superb middle set by Tomljanovic to win 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-4 in a see-saw match lasting well over two hours. With Maddison Inglis beaten by No.6 seed Karolina Muchova 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-4, and Daria Kasatkina knocked out on Monday, all three Australians were KO'd in the opening round. The women's event at Queens has been revived after a 52-year gap, having closed with four Australians in succession reaching the final from 1970-1973. Two wins by Margaret Court were followed by defeats for Karen Krantzcke and Evonne Goolagong (now Cawley). At one point it seemed Tomljanovic, who came through qualifying as she continues her attempt to climb back up the rankings following a series of injuries, would stay in contention to maintain that run. Edged out in an hour-long opening set she blitzed Boulter in the second winning five matches in succession. Her trademark powerful groundstrokes were in evidence as she pushed Boulter deep and pulled her wide, building on a series of excellent serves. An immediate break in the third set seemed to set Tomljanovic up for victory but her serve faltered and Boulter bit back. Nevertheless, her purple patch was encouraging as the current Aussie No.3 readies herself for Wimbledon, where she was a quarter-finalist in 2021 and 2022. Boulter admitted it was 'weird' having de Minaur watching her on court at Queens having previously only watched him play there. "I feel like I had a lot of emotions today," she added. "It's very easy to get caught up in just trying to get your first grass court match, also coming to such an historic venue which holds a lot of purpose and a lot of familiar feelings when I've come here before." Inglis was unlucky in that her match was suspended on Monday evening due to failing light when she had momentum. On resumption she fought hard but Muchova won her only break point while Inglis failed to take the two she created. On a good day for the home fans Heather Watson upset world No. 27 Yulia Putintseva, 107 places above her in the rankings, 6-4 6-3 and Emma Raducana made short work of Cristina Bucsa 6-1 6-2.
