Katie Boulter described the incident as a "lesson learned" as she advanced to the last‑16 of the Hong Kong Open, after a controversial moment "got under my skin". The British number one was serving for the match at 5‑2 when Viktorija Golubic broke her, following a point that Boulter protested to the umpire over an audible distraction.
The disruption unsettled Boulter, who also lost her next service game before the world‑ranked 49th player won a tie‑break 6‑2 7‑6 (7‑2) to secure a 6‑2 7‑6 (7‑2) victory. Boulter, who lost the final in Hong Kong in 2024, said she had been playing well and should have closed it out, but the "interesting judgement" affected her, especially as she felt tired at the end of the season.
Despite the setback, Boulter moved on, noting the experience taught her a valuable lesson. She will face American Claire Liu in the next round, having previously dominated world‑number‑89 Golubic at the Japan Open last month.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing