Katie Boulter has reclaimed the British number one ranking after fighting back to beat Antonia Ruzic in three sets in the quarter-finals of the Japan Open. The 30-year-old was dethroned on Monday following Sonay Kartal's run to the final in Wuhan, but knew she could overturn the 55-point deficit by reaching the last four in Osaka.
Eighth seed Boulter trailed world number 91 Ruzic by a set and a break but recovered to win 3-6 6-3 6-3 in two hours. It is her first semi-final since Queen's in June. She will face Czech Katerina Siniakova in the last four, and whatever the result will climb above Kartal and back into the world's top 50 when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday.
Boulter struggled on serve in the opening two sets, winning just 60% of points behind her first serve and hitting four double faults. She grew into the match, however, stepping inside the baseline to put pressure on the 23-year-old Croat. Ruzic hit back immediately after a double fault gifted Boulter a route back into the first set, but Boulter wrested back control in the second and went on to win eight straight games in the decider.
Kartal, who described becoming British number one as being "up there" in her career achievements, will hold the status for only a week. Boulter can further improve her ranking in Tokyo and Hong Kong in the coming weeks, while Emma Raducanu, sidelined by a shin injury, is expected to push back into the top 50 when she returns.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing