Britain’s Katie Boulter saw her seven-match winning streak come to an end as she was beaten by Italian top seed Jasmine Paolini in the quarter-finals of the Merida Open.
Boulter made a sensational start in Mexico, racing through the opening set in just 28 minutes without dropping a game.
Paolini raises her level
After winning only three points on her serve in the first set, Paolini responded strongly at the start of the second. She held serve for the first time and then broke to lead 3-1.
Although Boulter immediately broke back to love, neither player could dominate on serve during a scrappy spell that followed. Paolini steadied herself at the key moments to take the set 6-3 and level the match.
Decider slips away
The 2024 Wimbledon and French Open finalist moved 2-0 ahead in the deciding set and began to dictate rallies with greater authority.
Boulter briefly regained momentum, breaking back and holding to edge 3-2 in front. But Paolini’s confidence continued to grow and she won four consecutive games to seal a 0-6 6-3 6-3 victory and secure her place in the semi-finals.
“It was a really tough one — Katie in the first set was smashing every ball and hitting winners everywhere,” Paolini said.
“I told myself to play deeper and raise my level. I tried to stay calm and think about what I had to do — and in the end it worked out.”
Discussion about this post