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 restored her as Britain’s No 1.
Boulter started poorly. She lost the first three games of the match and dropped the opening set 6-3 in 34 minutes.
The Leicester player responded in the second set. She trailed 2-0 after being broken in her first service game, but she broke Ruzic’s serve three times in a row to force a decider.
The world No 58 then won three straight games to open the third set. Ruzic broke late in the set, but Boulter held on to win it 6-3.
The victory returned Boulter to the top of the British rankings just five days after she had lost that position to Sonay Kartal, whose run to the Wuhan Open final had moved her ahead. Boulter overturned a 55-point deficit, and Kartal dropped back to No 2.
“[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 player Katerina Siniakova in the semi-final on Saturday.
“[Siniakova is] one hell of a player. She’s extremely dangerous,” Boulter said. “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.”
This week’s WTA and ATP action includes events in China, Japan, Kazakhstan, France and Belgium.