British number three Katie Boulter has reached the second round of the Japan Open after a strong win over world number 17 Linda Noskova.
Boulter, ranked 59th in the world, won 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 in Osaka. The match lasted one hour and 36 minutes.
She will now play Sorana Cirstea from Romania in the next round.
This is Boulter’s first win over a top-20 player since she beat Paula Badosa at Wimbledon in July.
Boulter: “I Bet on Myself”
After the match, Boulter said:
“I’m really pleased with how I played today. The last few weeks have been tough. I just told myself to go for it and believe in my shots. Against players like Noskova, you have to win the match – they won’t give it to you.”
Both players lost their serve three times in the first set, but Boulter played better in the tie-break to take the lead.
She got stronger in the second set, winning 78% of points on her serve, compared to just 51% in the first set.
Much-Needed Win
This win was important for Boulter after a difficult summer. She had lost in the first round in five of her last seven tournaments, and recently dropped to third in the British rankings, behind Sonay Kartal.
What’s Next
Her next opponent, Sorana Cirstea, came from behind to beat Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Top seed Naomi Osaka also reached the second round, easily beating Sonobe Wakana 6-0, 6-4.
AloJapan.com