The fast pace of professional tennis poses a significant challenge. Despite a player’s great accomplishments, a fresh week brings a new tournament, different conditions, and most importantly, eager opponents with a strong desire to defeat you on the court.
Three days following her most significant accomplishment yet in her professional career, where she secured her first WTA 500 championship in San Diego and reached the top 30 rankings in the world, Katie Boulter encountered a tough hurdle. In the opening round of Indian Wells, she was quickly reminded of the reality by Camila Giorgi, who defeated her 6-3, 6-2 in 78 minutes to move forward.
In California, Andy Murray had an impressive performance, securing a spot in the second round with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over David Goffin. Murray, who has struggled in the beginning of the season, will now face fifth seed Andrey Rublev in the second round on Friday as he looks to improve his form.
Boulter was expected to have an advantage over her opponent, an Italian player who has faced difficulties since the previous year and recently dropped to No. 106 in the rankings, her lowest position since 2013. However, Giorgi, a former top 30 player and champion at the WTA 1000 event in Montreal three years ago, possesses the ability to overpower anyone on the court with her strong play.
Six years ago, prior to her match against Serena Williams in the 2018 Wimbledon quarter-finals, Giorgi was questioned about her thoughts on the game of the 23-time grand slam champion. Her reply was: “I am not familiar with tennis.” Giorgi’s main focus is on her own game and there are only a handful of players on the tour who are as resolute in their efforts to dominate every single ball.
On days when the 32-year-old is not performing well, the outcomes can be disastrous. However, on Wednesday, she had one of her exceptional performances. Right from the start, Giorgi dominated the baseline by hitting powerful shots with both her forehand and backhand, causing Boulter to retreat as she controlled the majority of the rallies.
Giorgi maintained a fast pace and struck powerful shots from both sides, making it difficult for a lacking-in-energy Boulter to keep up. Boulter’s mistakes increased as she struggled with her serve and became more passive as the game progressed. Losing her serve early on in both sets, Boulter spent most of the match fighting to stay in the game and was unable to find her footing.
Unfortunately, due to the WTA not using this week’s rankings for the main draw, Boulter was not seeded. However, she has demonstrated her ability to compete at a high level and win matches against tough opponents. The next step for her is to consistently perform at this level every week, regardless of the circumstances or who she is facing. Fortunately, the fast-paced nature of professional tennis allows for multiple opportunities, and she will have another chance at the Miami Open in a few weeks.
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Unfortunately, Jack Draper was not able to replicate his recent improvement in a disappointing loss to Christopher O’Connell from Australia in the first round, with a final score of 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. Draper had come into the Indian Wells tournament with a fantastic performance, as he had made it to the semi-finals at Acapulco just last week and even defeated the world’s 14th ranked player, Tommy Paul. Despite his strong start, the 22-year-old was forced to retire in the final set due to illness, ultimately losing to the eventual winner, Alex de Minaur.
In the early stages of the Californian desert, Draper appeared to maintain his impressive performance in Indian Wells as he smoothly won the first set. However, Draper struggled from the start of the second set, with the momentum drastically shifting as he fell behind 0-3.
The player from Britain had a weak serve for the remainder of the game and he suffered consequences for being too passive on the slow courts of Indian Wells. His opponent from Australia enticed him into extended rallies, ultimately outplaying him in the concluding set.
