Emma Raducanu set Great Britain on their way to the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals, as they knocked out defending champions Canada on Sunday.
Great Britain won both of their singles matches in Malaga, with Raducanu starting the day with a straight-sets victory.
She cruised through the first set before showing her mettle in the second to gain a 6-0 7-5 victory over Rebecca Marino in the early game.
Katie Boulter then secured their passage, holding off Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-4 in one hour and 42 minutes, without the need for a doubles decider.
Despite being the second lowest-ranked team, Great Britain are through to the final four without dropping a set in any of their singles matches so far.
They will face Slovakia, who beat 2022 runners-up Australia earlier on Sunday to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2013.
Like Great Britain, they triumphed in both of their singles matches, with Viktoria Hruncakova and Rebecca Sramkova coming out on top to secure the unassailable lead.
Coco Gauff claimed her 47th hard-court win in WTA-1000 matches with a straight-sets victory over Katie Boulter in the third round at the China Open.
The American now has the most wins on the surface before turning 21 and needed just 85 minutes to see off her opponent, prevailing 7-5 6-2 on Sunday.
Gauff looked set to sail through the first set after breaking Boulter’s serve in the sixth game and taking a 5-2 lead, but the Brit fought back to level the score.
Gauff, who served four of her five aces in the opening set, rallied to win the final two games, with Boulter failing to stop her from converting set point on the third time of asking.
Back in her groove, the world number three cruised through the second, which included three love games, to book a meeting with either Naomi Osaka or fellow American Katie Volynets in the next round.
Data Debrief: Out on her own
Gauff's win over Clara Burel in the last round pulled her level with Caroline Wozniacki for the joint-most WTA-1000 match wins on hard court before the age of 21 since the format's introduction in 2009.
But she made light work of pushing herself top of that list as she stormed through, dropping her serve just once in the contest.
Gauff (100) has also become the second player to record 100+ break-point conversions at WTA-1000 events in 2024, along with Iga Swiatek (145), getting four out of a possible seven against Boulter.
Coco Gauff followed up Olympic disappointment with an early Canadian Open exit after being stunned by Diana Shnaider in Toronto.
World number two Gauff suffered early eliminations at the Paris Olympics last week after falling in the singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
The number one seed was then downed 6-4 6-1 by her fellow 20-year-old, who secured the first top-10 win of her career to seal a maiden appearance in the quarter-finals of an ATP 1000 event.
"Sometimes I question like whether I should have played or not," Gauff said, "But at the end of the day I wanted to test myself and see if I would be able to, how I would do being mentally tired a little bit and physically fatigued.
"I said going into the tournament I didn't have high expectations, but I wish I could have competed better today, even if it resulted in a loss. I don't think I competed well."
Shnaider is a remarkable 39-14 across all professional matches for the year, winning three titles in Hua Hin, Thailand (hard) in February, Bad Homburg (grass) in June and Budapest (clay) in July.
"I know Coco is very physically prepared for everyone on tour, and she's running very well, she's covering all of the balls and all the angles on the court," Shnaider said.
"So when there were long rallies and I was winning them I was like, 'Wow, I just beat Coco in long rallies. I am good'. I mean, I tried to play it cool, but inside I was like, 'Yes! I made it!'"
Meanwhile, third seed Aryna Sabalenka eased past British number one Katie Boulter for a routine 6-3 6-3 triumph in Canada.
Sabalenka will next face Amanda Anisimova, one of five Americans in the last eight alongside defending champion Jessica Pegula, Peyton Stearns, Emma Navarro and Taylor Townsend.
Since the beginning of 2020, Sabalenka has reached 17 WTA 1000 quarter-finals, a feat only matched by world number one Iga Swiatek for the most at WTA 1000 events in that time.
Katie Boulter successfully defended her Nottingham Open title on Sunday, coming from a set down to beat Karolina Pliskova 4-6 6-3 6-2 in the final.
With both players having to play two matches in one day, Pliskova started strong, powering through the first set in just 39 minutes before the the physical toll started to kick in.
Boulter found her second wave though, fighting back to force a decider in which she broke the Czech's serve three times to seal the victory.
It was a long day for Boulter, who came out on top in an all-British semi-final earlier in the day against Emma Raducanu in three sets after their semi-final was suspended on Saturday due to bad weather.
Raducanu won the first set after 80 minutes in a tie-break, but she could not pick up where she left off on Sunday, as Boulter came from behind to win 6-7 (13-15) 6-3 6-4.
Meanwhile, Liudmila Samsonova won her first title of the season after also coming from a set down to defeat Bianca Andreescu 4-6 6-3 7-5 in the Libema Open final at 's-Hertogenbosch.
Data Debrief: Boulter powers through marathon day
Boulter and Pliskova had split their first four meetings, and all five of their matches have gone the distance to a decisive third set.
The Briton won 77 per cent of her service games (10/13), while also winning 43 per cent of her return games (6/14), double the amount of Pliskova.
Emma Raducanu felt like she was playing "two v one" as the Briton criticised umpire Ana Carvalho following her Nottingham Open first-round victory over Ena Shibahara.
The former US Open champion, who opted to miss the French Open to focus on preparing for the grass-court season, overcame the Japanese 6-1 6-4 in her first match since losing to Maria Lourdes Carla at the Madrid Open in April.
It was also Raducanu's first win on surface since the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, having missed last year's grass-court season after undergoing wrist and ankle surgery that, at one point, left her confined to a mobility scooter.
Although, the 21-year-old was left unhappy with several questionable decisions by umpire Carvalho, suggesting some of the calls were deliberately made in order to extend the contest.
It comes just 24 hours after fellow Briton Harriet Dart slammed "pretty appalling" officiating during her defeat to Katie Boulter in Nottingham, where electronic line-calling technology is not in use.
Nevertheless, Raducanu was pleased to eventually prevail and book her place in the second round.
"I feel like I was playing two v one on court, it was insane," said Raducanu. "I would have used probably at least four challenges!
"I think a lot of the time they go both ways. Today, I felt they were all against me, but it just makes me feel better that I managed to beat her and the umpire as well.
"It is difficult when there is no challenge, but it is something everyone has to deal with. You can be fortunate in some ways. Maybe it was just trying to make the match more competitive.
"It's something I had to deal with and overcome. I am very pleased with the attitude I came out with from the get-go and also having to deal with the adversity.
"I haven't played in a match for a while. Playing someone who comes through qualifying and is used to the conditions, I am very pleased to have won that match."
The world number 209 was also thrilled to get a win under her belt on home soil, and set up a last-16 clash with Ukrainian Daria Snigur, who defeated second seed Marta Kostyuk.
"An element of me forgot what it was like to play at home and have that support behind me, and it is amazing," she added. "It's a great feeling.
"I am very lucky to have great support wherever I play, but it's not quite like coming and playing in the UK. It's something that me and all the Brits cherish and look forward to every year."
Emma Raducanu will be welcomed back into Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup team “with open arms”, according to Katie Boulter.
The former US Open champion will play just her second tie for her country this week in France, two years after making her debut against the Czech Republic.
Injuries have prevented Raducanu being involved in the intervening ties, and she indicated at the Australian Open that she would prioritise her health this year when considering whether to play.
But, with the tie on indoor clay, the same surface as her next WTA tournament in Stuttgart next week, Raducanu will join Boulter, Harriet Dart, Heather Watson and debutant Francesca Jones in Le Portel.
Boulter, who is a brand ambassador for Lexus, told the PA news agency: “I’m very pleased. We’ve missed her. We love having her back.
“Obviously the number one thing is that she’s healthy. I’ve always said it for myself and it’s my biggest wish for her as well is that she can stay as healthy as possible. We’re going to be welcoming her with open arms for sure.”
At 302, Raducanu is the lowest-ranked member of Anne Keothavong’s team, with Boulter at 28 and Dart also in the top 100, but it would be a major surprise if she was left on the bench for the tie on Friday and Saturday.
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Raducanu won one of her two matches on her debut and showed promise in her first campaign on clay, traditionally the weakest surface for British players, two years ago.
Keothavong’s side are undoubtedly underdogs, particularly having lost to France at the same stage last year on hard courts in Coventry.
The home side are led by world number 23 Caroline Garcia, who recently defeated Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka on her way to the quarter-finals of the Miami Open, and Boulter said: “It’s a brutal match-up.
“We’ve already been in this place before and we had it at home. I think if anything it could help us, we are completely the underdogs. I think we’ve got a free swing.
“Garcia is clearly playing some very good tennis right now. But it’s another Billie Jean King Cup tie, anything can happen.
“We’ve got to keep it very realistic, it’s everyone’s first week on clay. It’s not my favourite surface but I’m very excited to get on it. I think we will come together as a team and keep trying to push each other and I’m sure we’ll play some really good tennis.”
Raducanu’s presence represents a boost for Britain compared to last year, as does the rapid rise of Boulter, who at 27 has surged into the top 30 for the first time.
The Leicestershire player lifted her second, and biggest, WTA Tour title at the San Diego Open last month and has won more matches against top-50 opponents in the first three months of 2024 than in the rest of her career combined.
“It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind,” said Boulter. “In some aspects I’m surprised, in other aspects I’m not surprised at all, which shows that I’ve really put a lot of work in and I feel like I’m going in the right direction.
“I am very realistic at the same time. Not everything’s going to click every week. I think that’s where, going into the next part of the season (on clay), I’ve got a free swing, because it’s obviously something I’m not used to.
“It’s something fresh and exciting but this last month has been a massive, massive leap for me.”
The winners of the tie will qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Seville in November.
Katie Boulter was brought back down to earth with a straight-sets loss to Camila Giorgi in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Boulter arrived at the tournament riding a crest of a wave after she secured a maiden WTA 500 title at the San Diego Open to continue her excellent 2024.
It earned the British number one a new career-best ranking of 27, but her momentum was checked after a 6-3 6-2 loss in quick fashion to Italian opponent Giorgi.
Giorgi entered this match in poor form and early breaks were exchanged between the duo before the first set went the way of the 32-year-old in 40 minutes.
After Giorgi claimed a decisive second break to edge the opener 6-3, two early breaks handed her the initiative at the start of the next set.
Boulter did finally get off the mark to make it 4-1 but there was no way back and she exited after a 78-minute loss.
Katie Boulter has set her sights on pushing further up the rankings after winning the biggest title of her career.
The British number one defeated five top-40 players to win the San Diego Open, bringing her a first WTA 500 trophy and elevating her ranking to 27.
With Cameron Norrie slipping to 28, it means Boulter is the highest-ranked British singles player of either gender heading into the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, which begins on Wednesday.
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The same week a year ago, Boulter was ranked outside the world’s top 150, and she does not have many points to defend until the grass-court tournament in Nottingham in June, where last year she picked up her first WTA title.
“I feel like I’ve started the year very well and I’ve given myself the best opportunity to set myself up for the rest of the year,” said 27-year-old Boulter.
“I’ve got a free swing, I don’t really have too much pressure. I’m just here enjoying myself and working as hard as I possibly can with a great team. You never know what could happen so I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”
The weekend was made even more special for Boulter by the success of boyfriend Alex De Minaur, who successfully defended his title in Acapulco on Saturday before catching an early morning flight to cheer on the British star.
They join the likes of former couples Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert and Lleyton Hewitt and Kim Clijsters in winning titles on the same weekend, and Boulter said: “I think that is very cool.
“I had no idea other people had done it. To share something with my other half is going to be something that we won’t forget.”
While the two titles both earned their recipients 500 ranking points, De Minaur took home around £325,000 and Boulter just £112,000, highlighting the continuing disparity between the ATP and WTA Tour away from the biggest joint events.
Boulter has mixed feelings, saying: “I’m obviously very happy with my first WTA 500 title, not too many players can say that they’ve won a 500 so I feel very special.
“Regarding the prize money, I feel like there’s a lot of equality in our sport in the biggest events. I really hope that the WTA can continue to help bridge the gap between the other events.”
There is parity in Indian Wells, where the tours come together at a big event for the first time since the Australian Open.
Boulter’s elevation to the top 30 comes too late to earn her a seeding and she will be back in action on Wednesday against dangerous Italian Camila Giorgi.
If she can maintain or improve her ranking through to the French Open and Wimbledon, she will earn herself a seeding, meaning she would not face a player in the top 32 until at least the third round.
“It’s definitely an aim of mine,” said Boulter. “I want to make sure that I can get as close to a seeding as possible. At the moment I’m in but it takes time to build more ranking points and to get myself to that place.
“Every single place in the ranking counts and I’ve just got to do my best because obviously it makes a difference as to who you play in the tournaments.”
Boulter is joined in the Indian Wells draw by Emma Raducanu, who has been given a wild card and will take on a qualifier in the first round.
Raducanu enjoyed one of her best weeks in the Californian desert last year, defying the wrist problems that subsequently forced her to go under the knife to reach the fourth round.
Norrie has a bye in the men’s event as the 28th seed while Andy Murray plays a qualifier, Jack Draper meets Christopher O’Connell and Dan Evans plays Roman Safiullin.
Rafael Nadal returns to the tour for the first time since suffering a muscle injury in Brisbane in January and will take on fellow veteran Milos Raonic, while Novak Djokovic makes his first appearance in Indian Wells for five years following the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions.
British number one Katie Boulter has claimed her first WTA 500 tournament victory with a 5-7 6-2 6-2 win over Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the final of the San Diego Open.
The 27-year-old from Leicester was watched by boyfriend Alex De Minaur, who scheduled an early-morning flight after retaining his title in Acapulco.
After an even start between the two, the sixth seeded Ukrainian began to get the better of Boulter, stringing multiple games together and rapidly closing in on the opening set.
Boulter fought back to even the set at 5-5, but Kostyuk regained the momentum to wrap up the first set 7-5.
Boulter then found her groove in the second, dominating on her first serve to clinch the set 6-2 and force a deciding third set.
The Briton continued her ascendancy into the third, claiming the first break point of the set en route to opening up a 3-1 advantage.
Boulter broke again in the seventh game and stormed home from there to close out the victory in two hours and 13 minutes.
Both women picked up their first WTA Tour titles last year in breakout 2023 seasons.
Boulter claimed her maiden championship on grass in Nottingham last summer, while Kostyuk found victory in Austin.
Boulter has had a flying start to the 2024 season and the victory over Kostyuk guarantees she will break into the top 30 for the first time.
Katie Boulter vowed to keep having fun on the court after beating Emma Navarro to reach her biggest career final at the San Diego Open.
The British number one, who claimed her maiden WTA Tour title on grass in Nottingham last summer, will bid for the trophy at a WTA 500 tournament for the first time thanks to a 6-3 6-1 win.
Boulter has had a flying start to the 2024 season and victory over her third top-30 opponent of the week guarantees she will rise at least 14 places in the rankings to a new career-high of 35.
She will break the top 30 if she can defeat Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the final on Sunday night – where she will be watched by boyfriend Alex De Minaur, who scheduled an early-morning flight after retaining his title in Acapulco.
Boulter said: “Today was one of those matches that everything just clicked. I came onto the court and started the first few games and I could feel the power that she had and the way she works and manoeuvres the ball.
“I had to come up with something better and play more aggressive and go for it and I think that was my chance to just trust myself and trust the work I’ve put in and it paid off.
“It’s my biggest career final so far. I’m just going to keep having fun. I’ve got such good vibes going with the team right now so nothing changes there, I’m just going to enjoy myself.”
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The 27-year-old from Leicester dominated on her serve against third seed Navarro, winning more than 87 per cent of first serve points and allowing the American just two break points, both of which she saved.
Rain stopped play early in the second set but the delay did nothing to halt Boulter’s momentum as she wrapped up victory in only 48 minutes of play.
“It was obviously very tricky with the rain delay in the middle of the match,” said Boulter, who was ranked well outside the top 100 a year ago.
“I felt like I had the momentum behind me, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself in the rain delay to stay focused and stay warm and continue that momentum and I think I came out and played some really good stuff to start with and kept that rolling and I think that was super important today.”
Kostyuk is also having one of the best weeks of her career and she stunned American top seed Jessica Pegula, winning 7-6 (4) 6-1.
It was the 21-year-old’s first win over a top-five player after she came back from 5-1 down in the first set.
Katie Boulter will play in her first WTA-500 final after she beat American Emma Navarro in straight sets at the San Diego Open.
It took just over an hour for Boulter who won the first set 6-3 and dominated the second 6-1 against the third seed.
The 27-year-old from Leicester dominated on her serve, winning more than 87 per cent of first serve points and allowed just two break points opportunities against her serve, saving both.
Rain stopped play early in the second set, but the delay did nothing to stop Boulter’s momentum as she produced an almost perfect set to secure victory.
Boulter will climb to her career-high WTA ranking after the win as she looks to win her first WTA-500 title in what will be the biggest game of her career so far.
Cameron Norrie is the only British singles player left in the Australian Open after a five-set win over Giulio Zeppieri in the second round.
British trio Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper and Katie Boulter all lost while Kazakh third seed Elena Rybakina became the biggest casualty of the tournament so far, losing an epic deciding tie-break against Anna Blinkova.
Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek almost went the same way but recovered to beat Danielle Collins while men’s second seed Carlos Alcaraz also progressed on a day Jessica Pegula and Holger Rune were knocked out.
Picture of the dayTweet of the day
Figures from across the tennis world have been paying tribute to the Daily Mail’s hugely respected tennis correspondent Mike Dickson, who died in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Stat of the dayShots of the dayBrady blow
American Jennifer Brady has been sidelined for the majority of the three years since she reached the Australian Open final in 2021, and she has now announced that she needs more surgery.
Medvedev’s dawn raid
Men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev looked to be heading out as he went two sets down to Emil Ruusuvuori.
But the Russian showed his fighting spirit and ensured it was a very early morning as he battled back to win in five sets, winning 3-6 6-7 (1) 6-4 7-6 (1) 6-0 just before 4am local time, with sunrise two hours away.
Friends reunited
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Fallen seeds
Women: Elena Rybakina (3), Jessica Pegula (5), Daria Kasatkina (14)
Men: Holger Rune (8), Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (23), Jan-Lennard Struff (24), Jiri Lehecka (32)
Who’s up next?
Novak Djokovic will attempt to find his form when he takes on dangerous Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round on Friday.
Women’s defending champion Aryna Sabalenka faces Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko while Coco Gauff takes on fellow American Alycia Parks.
Jannik Sinner has been the most impressive of the leading men so far and he meets 26th seed Sebastian Baez.
Jack Draper and Katie Boulter have set their sights on being seeded for Wimbledon after losing in the second round of the Australian Open.
Both found themselves up against highly-ranked opponents and were unable to cause upsets, with Draper losing 6-2 3-6 6-3 7-5 to 14th seed Tommy Paul, while Boulter was beaten 6-3 6-3 by 12th seed Zheng Qinwen.
Draper was particularly frustrated having beaten American Paul in both their previous meetings, including last week in Adelaide.
But, although he pulled up well physically from his dramatic first-round match, which he ended vomiting into a bin, the 22-year-old was unable to find his best tennis.
“He definitely came out playing really well,” said Draper. “I think he knew what he was up against. I think I won all four sets against him that I played.
“I definitely feel like I haven’t really got used to conditions this week at all. I just have been struggling to find my level. Obviously when you are playing a top player like that, if they’re playing well, there are very small margins in it. He was the better player today. He deserved to win.”
Draper is impatient to get to the sort of ranking he knows his talent merits, and it appears physically he is becoming more durable.
Being among the seeds at slams means guaranteeing avoiding higher-ranked players in the first two rounds and, having missed much of last season through injury, Draper now has a big opportunity to climb quickly.
He said: “I feel fit. I’m ready to keep going. I’m very motivated to keep getting better.
“So hopefully, by grass, if I keep my form up, if I stay fit, keep giving myself the opportunities to compete, then I’m going to be hopefully seeded for Wimbledon. And that’s kind of my goal now.”
It is the same for Boulter, who was disappointed to lose to Zheng but showed again that she can mix it with the top players.
The 21-year-old Chinese player is one of the game’s up-and-coming stars but the contest was closer than the score suggested.
Boulter will leave Australia with the best win of her career under her belt against Jessica Pegula at the United Cup earlier this month and a lot of belief in her prospects for the rest of the season.
“This trip has been great,” she said. “For me it’s about week in, week out playing these girls, trying to get big wins against the best players in the world. I gave myself opportunities to do that this week. I found myself winning a couple of matches a few weeks ago as well.
“For me, it is a massive step in the right direction. I’m going to keep working very, very hard. I know my game is there. Today it just wasn’t quite there.
“I would much rather play (her) in the third round, the fourth round to get myself into the tournament more and more and be playing on the bigger courts, which ultimately is more about the tennis than the conditions.
“So my next step for me is to challenge myself to get to 32 and push on from there.”
Katie Boulter came out second best in a power battle with 12th seed Zheng Qinwen at the Australian Open.
British number one Boulter has had a great start to the season and she certainly played her part in an entertaining clash against Zheng, who is one of the rising stars of the game.
Ultimately she could not secure a spot in the third round, though, losing out 6-3 6-3 to the 21-year-old Chinese star in windy conditions at Melbourne Park.
Given the weather, this was a quality encounter between two of the cleanest ball strikers in the game.
It was a nip-and-tuck contest, with little to choose between them throughout, but ultimately it was Zheng who managed to come out on top in the crucial moments.
Boulter led by a break at 3-2 in the second set but Zheng responded with a run of four games in a row.
The last game was the longest of the match, with Boulter saving five match points but unable to take any of six break points before Zheng finally clinched it with an ace.
Katie Boulter defeated Yuan Yue for her first Australian Open victory in five years.
The British number one has lost in qualifying in Melbourne the previous two years but made rapid strides up the rankings in 2023 and was impressive in a 7-5 7-6 (1) victory over in-form Yuan.
The only missed step from Boulter, who has been subject of a lot of attention as the girlfriend of Australia’s big hope Alex De Minaur, was two match points that went begging on her own serve at 5-4 in the second set.
But she regrouped well and dominated the tie-break for just her second main-draw victory at Melbourne Park.
It was a tight contest throughout but Boulter showed once again that she is a player for the big occasion, coming out on top in nearly all the key moments.
A break for 6-5 in the opening set gave her the chance to serve it out, which she took in hot, breezy conditions.
Yuan, ranked seven places lower than Boulter at 61 in the world, reached the semi-finals of the WTA Tour event in Hobart last week, while her opponent also came into the tournament high on confidence after the best win of her career over Jessica Pegula at the United Cup.
There was nothing to separate the pair in the second set until Boulter, who had been under more pressure on her serve, broke to lead 5-4.
But her composure wavered at the wrong time, the 27-year-old serving a double fault on her first match point and then making a backhand error on the second as Yuan pulled back level.
She did not dwell on the missed opportunities, though, winning the first five points of the tie-break and taking her third match point to join fellow Britons Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper in the second round.
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