Prudential Hong Kong Open: Boulter ‘proud’ of defiant victory over Chinese star Wang Xiyu
British No 2 seed Boulter will face either Varvara Gracheva or Anastasia Zakharova in Friday’s quarter-finals
Katie Boulter said she had been put through the wringer by rising Chinese star Wang Xiyu before securing the straight sets victory that booked her Prudential Hong Kong Open quarter-final spot.
A fired-up Boulter won 7-6, 6-4 on Wednesday, after staving off one set point in the opener and resisting a second-set fightback from hard-hitting Wang.
The Briton, ranked No 29 in the world, is playing her 23rd tournament of a hectic year, and had scant recovery time following a WTA 500 semi-final loss to Sofia Kenin in Tokyo on Saturday.
Boulter began her Hong Kong campaign with a relatively straightforward victory over Aoi Ito on Tuesday and, back on Victoria Park Tennis Stadium’s centre court barely 24 hours later, needed to summon all her resilience and perseverance to overcome 23-year-old Wang.
“That was quite the match,” Boulter said. “[Wang] is an incredible opponent and she never lets up. She keeps hitting and is so talented. She made me work very hard, which I am not that happy about, but she has a great future ahead of her.”
Wang drew first blood, breaking Boulter for a 3-2 first set lead, only for the 28-year-old to break back for 4-4. Boulter released a huge roar when she gained a 4-1 tiebreak advantage, but from 5-3 she let slip three straight points.
