A shaky start, then three breaks in a row
Katie Boulter was in trouble early in Osaka. She dropped the first three games against Antonia Ruzic and handed over the opening set 6-3, the kind of start that ends quarter-finals before they get going.
The second set flipped. Boulter broke the Croatian three times in a row, took it 6-3 and forced a decider. She carried that momentum into the third, started it well and closed out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win at the Japan Open earlier today.
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Back on top of the British pile
The result matters beyond one tournament. Boulter, ranked 58th in the world, returns to the top spot among British women. Sonay Kartal had briefly held it after her run to the Wuhan Open final, where she lost to Maja Chwalinska.
That gap is small enough to flip again within a week, which gives the semi-final extra weight.
Siniakova next
Boulter now faces Katerina Siniakova in Saturday’s semi-final. After conceding the first three games to Ruzic, she will want a cleaner opening this time. Another slow start against a player of Siniakova’s calibre will be hard to repair.
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