Katie Boulter came back from a set down to beat Antonia Ruzic 3-6 6-3 6-3 and reach the semi-finals of the Japan Open. The win also reclaimed her title as Britain’s No 1.
Boulter struggled in a 34-minute first set. She lost the opening three games in succession, could not regain momentum, and dropped the set 6-3.
The Leicester native responded in the second set, breaking Ruzic’s serve three times in a row to force a decider. She had trailed 2-0 after being broken in her opening service game, but she fought back to level the match.
The world No 58 then won three games in succession to open the third set. She survived a late Ruzic break to close out the final set 6-3 and secure her place in the last four.
Back at the top of the British rankings
The result restored Boulter as Britain’s best female player, just five days after she had ceded that position to Sonay Kartal, who reached the Wuhan Open final. Boulter’s progress overturned a 55-point deficit in the rankings and moved Kartal back to No 2.
Boulter reacts
“[Ruzic] is a really good player,” Boulter said in her on-court interview. “She’s extremely tough to beat.
“I did extremely well to come back into it in the second set, but she was swinging at everything hard. I felt like anything that I was giving her wasn’t bothering her. Full credit to her.
“I tried to hang tough, and in the end I started to play a bit better. I was lucky in the second set, but in the end I felt like I did well to stay there.”
Next up: Siniakova
Boulter will face Czech Katerina Siniakova in the semi-final on Saturday.
“[Siniakova is] one hell of a player. She’s extremely dangerous,” Boulter added. “I know exactly what she’s going to bring to the table.
“It’s going to be a great match. I’ve got nothing to lose, and I’m going to come prepared tomorrow.”