Katie Boulter has continued her stunning run at the Japan Open with her latest win helping her to reclaim the title as British No 1.
Barely a week after she was replaced as the top British player in the WTA Rankings by Sonay Kartal, Boulter will regain her crown on the back of reaching the semi-final of the WTA 500 event.
Boulter started this week at No 58 in the rankings, nine places behind Kartal after the 24-year-old surged 121 places to a new career high with her runners-up finish at the Wuhan Open.
But Boulter has earned a 10-place jump in the Live Rankings to No 48 with 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 her quarter-final win over Antonio Ruzic in Osaka.
WTA News
After losing the opening set, the eighth seed looked set for an exit after being broken in the opening game of the second set, but she broke back in game four only for Ruzic to edge ahead again in the next game.
But Boulter was back on terms in game six and then claimed the important break in game eight. She raced into a 5-1 lead in the decider on the back of two early breaks and eventually served it out.
“[Ruzic] is a really good player,” Boulter said during her on-court interview on Sky Sports. “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.”
Up next is Katerina Siniakova after the Czech claimed a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 win over qualifier Mary Stoiana.
It will be a second career meeting between the two with Boulter winning their previous encounter 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 on the clay in Madrid in 2025.
The British star is ready for the “extremely dangerous” Siniakova.
She added: “[Siniakova is] one hell of a player – she’s extremely dangerous. 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.”
The run in Osaka is easily Boulter’s best since she reached the last four of the HSBC Championship at Queen’s Club in June.
