Katie Boulter said the experience was a “lesson learned” after overcoming an incident that affected her concentration to reach the last 16 of the Hong Kong Open.
The British number one was serving for the match at 5-2 when Viktorija Golubic broke back. During the game, Boulter complained to the umpire after a point was not replayed despite an audible noise from outside distracting the players.
Boulter then lost another service game, allowing world number 49 Golubic to level the second set. However, she recovered in the tie-break, winning it 7-2 to complete a 6-2, 7-6 victory.
“It was interesting,” said Boulter, who was runner-up at the Hong Kong Open in 2024. She said she had been playing “some really good tennis” and felt she should have finished the match sooner, but acknowledged that several incidents had affected her.
Boulter added that she was tired because the tournament came at the end of the season, and said the situation had “got under my skin” more than usual. Despite that, she managed to regain her composure and secure the win.
She will face American Claire Liu in the next round. Boulter previously defeated Golubic in dominant fashion on her way to the semi-finals of last month’s Japan Open.
Sources: BBC Sport.