Katie Boulter, the British No1, will face British No2 Harriet Dart in the Wimbledon second round after a hard-fought victory over 2022 semi-finalist Tatjana Maria of Germany.
Boulter came through 7-6 (6), 7-5 in two hours and seven minutes to set up a meeting with Dart, who had thrashed China’s Zhuoxuan Bai 6-4, 6-0 earlier on Tuesday on Court 18.
Victory over Maria for 32nd seed Boulter did not come easily, and she had to show mettle to claw her way back from 4-1 down in the first set — broken on serve in the very first game — to take the set to a tie-break and, once there, won it 8-6.
Watched on at Court 3 by fellow Brit Jodie Burrage — not competing this year due to recent wrist surgery — and boyfriend Alex de Minaur, who is safely into round two in the men’s draw, Boulter was again broken in the first game of the second set.
This time, though, she broke back at the earliest possible opportunity, eventually breaking 36-year-old Maria once more to secure the set at 7-5 and the match.
Last year saw Boulter reach the third round, before eventual defeat to former champion Elena Rybakina, 6-1, 6-1. Her form heading into this year’s Championships has been strong, including winning Nottingham, where she had to come through mammoth matches against Emma Raducanu and Dart to lift the trophy.
Indeed, in a year of career-high world rankings for Boulter, she told The Standard ahead of her opening match on Tuesday that it felt strange coming in with that slight bit more pressure, noting it as a “slightly different situation.”
Speaking after victory, she said: “She made the semis a couple of years ago and I can completely see why. I’m looking forward to the ice bath, and I’ve not said that before.
“That will set me up well for the rest of the matches. Playing a Brit is never an easy draw. I’ve got try and forget [being a Billie Jean King Cup team-mate of Dart’s] and just try and focus on the tennis.”
