Australian Open: Katie Boulter beaten by Qinwen Zheng to miss out on potential Emma Raducanu clash
Katie Boulter could have set up a third-round clash with Emma Raducanu, who is in action against Yafan Wang later on Thursday, with a victory over the Chinese 12th seed - follow scores, reports and analysis from Australian Open across Sky Sports' digital platforms
Thursday 18 January 2024 10:54, UK
British No 1 Katie Boulter was knocked out of the Australian Open in the second round, losing to Chinese 12th seed Qinwen Zheng 6-3 6-3.
A battling effort from Boulter was eventually undone after an epic final service game from Zheng which went to a sixth deuce before she took advantage of her sixth match point with an ace.
Boulter, herself, had six break point opportunities in the same game, having earlier raced out into a 0-40 lead, but she couldn't claim any of them as her tournament came to a close.
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After Zheng controlled the first set, Boulter broke serve for a 3-2 lead in the second but the British No 1 double-faulted twice in blustery conditions in the next to immediately give up the advantage.
Boulter was then broken for a second-straight game, her first serve continuing to desert her, and yet another double all but sealed her fate before she briefly threatened a comeback as Zheng served for the match.
It means that Boulter misses out on potentially facing fellow Brit Emma Raducanu in the third round. The former US Open champion plays Yafan Wang later on Thursday as she tries to book her place in the next round.
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