Katie Boulter’s impressive performance in Florida continued as she reached the fourth round of the Miami Open, cementing her position as a top 30 player. However, her tournament came to an end with a loss to the resilient Victoria Azarenka, who defeated her 7-5, 6-1.
Amid unpleasant weather conditions and swirling winds that affected both players, Azarenka showcased her adaptability and experience by maintaining a steady performance despite the challenges until the very end.
Even though she lost, Boulter’s recent performance in this tournament is still impressive. This was highlighted by her domination of Beatriz Haddad Maia, who is ranked 13th in the world, on Saturday. Boulter has spent most of her career as an underdog facing top players, but now she has confidence in her ability to compete with them.
Rephrased: Currently 34 years old and ranked at No. 32, which is two positions lower than Boulter, Azarenka is far removed from her peak years in 2012-2013 when she was ranked at the top and only Serena Williams was considered to be her equal on hard courts. Despite this, the two-time grand slam winner consistently achieves respectable results and occasionally makes significant strides in major tournaments. In the previous round, she demonstrated her enduring skill by defeating the seventh seed, Qinwen Zheng, in straight sets.
The swift Miami courts have benefited both players more than the sluggish hard courts in Indian Wells, where Boulter and Azarenka were eliminated in the initial round. However, the persistent and strong winds on Monday proved challenging for everyone.
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Despite losing the first set, Boulter displayed determination and fought back. As Azarenka’s nerves escalated, Boulter stepped up her game and hit the ball with more control. She managed to save five set points and evened the score to 5-5. However, Azarenka’s experience ultimately prevailed as she regained her rhythm and won the set. In the second set, Azarenka dominated while Boulter’s mistakes cost her the match.
When the circumstances work in Boulter’s favor and she is able to attack without any limitations, she has proven herself to be a formidable player and her skill in striking the ball is no longer a surprise. However, as Azarenka demonstrates, consistently performing at this level demands the same level of quality and discipline, regardless of the conditions or the player’s own feelings. This is Boulter’s debut season at the top level, and she walked off the court with a valuable lesson learned from a highly skilled champion.
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It is likely that Boulter will stay in Miami to finish out Alex de Minaur’s tournament after defeating Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the men’s third round. However, she will then have her first full clay season ahead of her. As Boulter has mainly competed on the ITF circuit, during the WTA’s clay season, she will continue to participate in lower-level tournaments on hard courts, which better suit her aggressive playing style. At the age of 27, she has only played in six clay-court tournaments, so there will be more opportunities for growth and improvement in the upcoming months.
Had she not excelled and earned a plethora of points in recent weeks, this could have been a nerve-wracking time for Boulter. With the grass season quickly approaching, she must defend a substantial number of points. Thankfully, she currently holds the 26th spot in the live rankings and is able to compete without added pressure. As she competes alongside top players every week, there is no doubt that she is capable of achieving even greater success.
Source: theguardian.com
