Katie Boulter has advanced to the semi-finals of the WTA 500 tournament at the San Diego Open after defeating Donna Vekic of Croatia in two straight sets. The top-ranked British player continued her success from the previous round, where she also defeated the second-seeded player Beatriz Haddad Maia, by beating the 2022 runner-up 6-4, 6-3.
After being behind 3-1 in the first set, Boulter dominated with nine wins in the next 10 games, showing great assurance. As a result of her latest win, she will achieve a career-best ranking and is on the brink of breaking into the top 40.
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Seventh seed Vekic took an early lead in the first set, but later made a series of errors during her service game, allowing Boulter to quickly level the score. However, Boulter managed to fend off three break points and secure a break of her own for a 5-4 lead before ultimately winning the set after holding her serve.
Two stunning Boulter backhands brought the 27-year-old another break at the start of the second, and a subsequent break to love put her in complete control.
Boulter allowed Vekic to regain one break as she was serving to win the set, but she successfully ended the match on her first match point with a powerful forehand shot after a lengthy exchange, securing the win in 1 hour and 36 minutes.
“The match was a tough fight in challenging weather conditions, making it difficult to establish a rhythm for both of us as we are powerful hitters,” stated Boulter. “I managed to win the first set and played some quality shots in the second.”
