Great Britain’s Katie Boulter failed to capitalize on her magnificent opening performance, suffering a defeat against Italian top seed Jasmine Paolini in the Merida Open quarter-finals.
In her match against the world number seven in Mexico, Boulter claimed the initial set in just 28 minutes, not conceding a single game.
Nevertheless, mistakes began to surface, and Paolini proceeded to clinch the victory with scores of 0-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Despite having secured only three points on her serve during the first set, Paolini began the second with renewed vigor, holding serve for the first time before breaking to take a 3-1 lead.
Boulter, who arrived at the match on the heels of a seven-game winning streak—a run that included capturing the Ostrava Open title—responded immediately by breaking to love, but neither athlete managed to hold their serve across the subsequent three games.
Paolini ultimately kept her composure to secure the second set, thereby bringing the match level.
The player who reached the finals of both Wimbledon and the French Open in 2024 rapidly gained a 2-0 advantage in the deciding set, and even though Boulter managed to break back and hold her serve to take a 3-2 lead, the Italian’s self-belief intensified as she swept four successive games to secure her place in the semi-final.
“It proved to be an exceptionally challenging encounter – Katie, in the initial set, was hitting every ball with immense force and securing winners consistently,” Paolini stated to Sky Sports.
“I continuously instructed myself to position my shots further back in the court and to strike the ball with greater intensity, recognizing I needed to elevate my game to attempt to secure the victory, which ultimately paid off.”
“My objective was to maintain tranquility, to contemplate my strategy. I believe that when nerves take over, identifying solutions becomes impossible.”
