The last British player has left the building. Turn off the (Centre Court) lights. After Friday evening’s Bonfire of the Brits – where Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady were knocked out of Wimbledon in a car-crash two hours – there was more bad news for home fans on Saturday night. Katie Boulter, the final remaining hope, was overwhelmed by the formidable number three seed Elena Rybakina, 6-1 6-1. There have been some gutsy performances and moments of high drama, but the bottom line is that Britain will have no singles players in the second week of Wimbledon for the first time since 2018.
There had been – strange as it seems now – cautious hopes for an upset coming into the Boulter-Rybakina match. Boulter, the 26-year-old from Leicester, had arrived on court saying she had “nothing to lose … I’m going to have a swing and go for it”. And she was true to her word.
