A Comeback Win in Osaka
Katie Boulter is back at the summit of British women's tennis after a gutsy three-set victory over Antonia Ruzic in the quarter-finals of the Japan Open in Osaka. The 30-year-old, seeded eighth, had been displaced as British number one just days earlier when Sonay Kartal reached the final in Wuhan, but Boulter knew that a semi-final berth would be enough to overturn the 55-point deficit. She delivered exactly that, coming from a set and a break down to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in two hours against the world number 91 from Croatia.
Boulter was far from her best on serve early on, managing only 60 percent of points won on her first delivery and racking up four double faults across the opening two sets. Yet she gradually found her rhythm by stepping inside the baseline and taking the ball earlier to apply pressure to the 23-year-old Ruzic. After the pair exchanged several breaks of serve in a scrappy second set, Boulter strung together eight consecutive games to seal the win. She failed to serve it out at 5-2 in the third but broke immediately to close out the contest.
Siniakova Awaits in the Semis
Boulter now faces Czech player Katerina Siniakova for a place in the final, and regardless of that result she will climb back inside the world's top 50 when rankings are updated on Monday. This is Boulter's third WTA semi-final of 2026 and her first since the grass-court event at Queen's Club back in June. Describing Siniakova as "one hell of a player," Boulter sounded relaxed and determined heading into the match. The rivalry between Boulter and Kartal adds a compelling subplot to the closing weeks of the season and into 2027. TennisDraw users backing Boulter for a deep Osaka run will be feeling very confident right now.
