Katie Boulter delivered what she described as the biggest win of her career on Friday, toppling world No. 2 and top seed Elena Rybakina 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 to reach her first semi-final at the Queen’s Club Championships.
The contest stretched to two hours and 39 minutes, and the decisive thread running through it was Boulter’s defence: the British No. 3 saved 12 of the 14 break points she faced, repeatedly digging out of trouble against one of the heaviest hitters in the women’s game. Rybakina, the former Wimbledon champion, levelled the match with a one-sided second set, but Boulter steadied in the decider to close out a result that ranks among the finest of her career.
The London grass — the win extends a strong week for the home contingent at the revived WTA 500, back at the West Kensington venue for only the second time since the women’s event returned after a decades-long absence. Boulter, a three-time WTA titlist and a two-time champion on home grass in Nottingham, will face lucky loser Donna Vekic in the last four. Vekic, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, came through a testing route of her own, beating Marie Bouzkova and then former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to reach a second WTA 500 semi-final of the season.
The other half of the draw produced another notable result, with 18-year-old American Iva Jovic seeing off second seed Amanda Anisimova — last year’s runner-up — 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to book her place in the semi-finals. Jovic will meet the winner of a quarter-final between Emma Raducanu and Kamilla Rakhimova, a tie pushed back to Saturday after rain earlier in the week congested the schedule; both players had come through second-round matches on Friday.
Semi-finals are scheduled for Saturday, with the final on Sunday. Boulter’s run, capped by the Rybakina result, sets up the prospect of a British finalist on grass days out from Wimbledon.
