Katie Boulter faces the prospect of dropping from the WTA Tour on to the lower tiers of the professional circuit after becoming the fourth British player to exit the first round of the Australian Open.
A strong start for British tennis on Sunday, with wins for Emma Raducanu, Cameron Norrie and Arthur Fery, made way for two disappointing days at Melbourne Park. Following defeats for Francesca Jones and Jacob Fearnley on Monday came two more losses for Boulter and Sonay Kartal on Tuesday.
Boulter put in a particularly poor first set against the Swiss No10 seed Belinda Bencic, failing to win a single game, before valiantly battling hard towards the end for a more respectable second set scoreline in a 6-0, 7-5 defeat.
In her six main draw appearances at the Australian Open, Boulter has never made it past the second round
AARON FAVILA/AP
The closing stages offered a reminder of Boulter’s talent on the big stage, but ultimately there are no ranking points awarded for the level of performance. As a result she will drop another four spots to No117 in the world, most likely leaving her short of the main-draw cut for future WTA tournaments.
Boulter was not despondent about this. After struggling for consistency on the main tour, she believes it may do her good in the long run to contest a mixture of WTA qualifying draws and lower ITF tournaments.
“I’m actually quite excited for it,” Boulter, 29, said. “I’m eager to get out and play loads of matches. I’m not pressured about playing qualifying in any tournaments.
Boulter’s partner Alex de Minaur, the men’s No6 seed, was watching at Margaret Court Arena
LUKAS COCH/EPA
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity of playing back-to-back days, getting my body back to being used to playing five matches [in a row]. Last year was very bitty so I never got that rhythm of just match play.”
Boulter rightly takes satisfaction from the way in which she recovered from a dismal first set to mount a challenge in the second set. Bencic is in form after winning all five matches she played at the United Cup warm-up, including a victory against Iga Swiatek.
Bencic, left, has a career-high singles ranking of world No4, and proved too good for Boulter
EDGAR SU/REUTERS
“Belinda is an incredible player,” Boulter said. “She belongs in the top ten. She makes you almost have to rush and play shots that you don’t normally play and kind of go for broke.
“As I settled into the second set, I can take confidence from the fact that I definitely improved myself. I was right there with her at times.”
In contrast, Kartal made a strong start against the No31 seed Anna Kalinskaya, claiming an early break for a 3-1 lead in the opening set. She was then 2-1 up in the tie-break before losing six of the next seven points to abruptly concede the set to her opponent.
Kartal never recovered, and won only one game in the second set, losing 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 in one hour and 38 minutes. It means her wait for a match win at the Australian Open continues after falling at the first hurdle in two consecutive years.
Kalinskaya’s powerful ball striking was impressive
HOLLIE ADAMS/REUTERS
“I am very disappointed,” Kartal said. “I think if I could go back out there now and play that match again, I would play a completely different way. I never really found my own rhythm in the second set. My level got even worse, to be honest with you.
“My base level was just not really finding the court in that second set. Maybe she did raise her level, but I think ultimately my level dipped to a level which hasn’t been that low for years.”
It is no particular surprise that Kartal lost, given that she has a world ranking of No66 and was playing the No31 seed. Kalinskaya, 27, is a former Australian Open quarter-finalist, in 2024, and has more experience on the WTA Tour.
Nonetheless, Kartal will be disappointed at the speed in which the match raced away from her towards the end. She played well in the early stages, pushing Kalinskaya hard from the baseline with depth and angles, and was only two points from taking the set at 5-4 on the Kalinskaya serve.
A hold here was pivotal for Kalinskaya, as was her comeback from a mini-break down in the tie-break. Taking a gruelling 62-minute opening set allowed her to settle in the second set and she dominated proceedings with her powerful ball striking for the remainder of the match.
Kartal hit only 14 winners to Kalinskaya’s 33
CAMERON SPENCER/GETTY IMAGES
Kartal has the Middle East swing to bounce back next month and has not ruled out a return to Australia in April for Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier despite it being a challenging trip before the European clay-court season.
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“I’d love to be in the world’s top 50 again,” Kartal said. “I don’t think that’s too far away from where I’m currently sitting as well. If I have a good few weeks in the Middle East, that is definitely doable. And the goal for me this year would be the top 30.
“It was definitely a bit of a surprise seeing the Billie Jean King Cup draw last night. But those weeks for me are some of the highlights of my year. I look at Shenzhen [the finals last September], for example. I was in a bit of a rough spot with my tennis, went out there and it almost turned everything around for me. Never say never.”
Oliynykova, of Ukraine, pushed the champion Key hard in the first set before falling away in the second
JAMES D. MORGAN/GETTY IMAGES
Elsewhere at Melbourne Park, Madison Keys made a successful start to the defence of her title with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-1 win against Oleksandra Oliynykova. Elena Rybakina, the No5 seed, also eased through 6-4, 6-3 against Kaja Juvan.