Katie Boulter's return to competitive tennis after a first-round Wimbledon exit ended in disappointment in Washington, as American Ashlyn Krueger produced a stunning turnaround to eliminate the British No. 1 from the Mubadala DC Open in the first round.
Boulter looked sharp early, breaking in the seventh game when Krueger fired a backhand long, then adding a second break two games later to claim the opening set 6-3. The signs were encouraging for a player making her first appearance since her Wimbledon loss, and Boulter had clearly shaken off any rust in that first set.
Krueger, however, found another level entirely after the interval. Having made 16 unforced errors in the opening set, the world No. 67 tightened her game considerably and broke Boulter twice in the second set to level the match at one set apiece.
The decider proved equally dramatic. Boulter saved two break points to hold early and even surged to a 2-0 lead, briefly suggesting she might reassert control. But Krueger was relentless, breaking her opponent three times across the next five games to close out the match and book a second-round date with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Boulter fans will note this defeat comes just weeks after the British star married fellow tennis professional Alex De Minaur, making for a bittersweet stretch heading into the North American hard-court swing.
On the men's side, Cameron Norrie snapped a six-match losing run on the ATP Tour with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Aleksandar Kovacevic in Mexico, offering some relief for British tennis fans.
TennisDraw users who backed Boulter to advance beyond the first round in Washington will be updating their bracket picks after this surprise result.
