Katie Boulter continued her remarkable performance, securing a place in the Hong Kong Open semi-finals after defeating Russia‘s Anastasia Zakharova in two straight sets.
Boulter managed to win a challenging first set against a determined Zakharova before dominating the second set with a 6-4 6-0 victory, setting up a clash with China’s sixth seed Yue Yuan in the semi-finals.
The British number one, who made it to the semi-finals in Tokyo just last week, stepped up her game when necessary against an opponent ranked 113th, who kept pace with the second seed for most of the initial set.
However, Boulter secured her serve with an ace to lead 5-4 and then clinched the first break of the match to take it 6-4 after Zakharova sent a forehand into the net.
Zakharova put the world number 29 under pressure in the opening game of the second set, but Boulter held firm and then executed a brilliant volley on break point to move into a 2-0 lead.
A second break followed for the Briton, thanks to a spectacular cross-court forehand, as she sailed into a 4-0 lead and, after holding once more, she broke Zakharova for a third time to secure victory in an hour and 16 minutes.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk