A day after heavy rainfall suspended play, Britain's Katie Boulter returned to clinch a 6-3 6-1 victory at the Japan Open over wildcard Himeno Sakatsume. The world No 58 completed the dominant win in one hour and 32 minutes in Osaka, and will next face Swiss player Viktorija Golubic for a place in the quarter-finals.
The victory gives Boulter a 20-20 record across her last 40 matches and a confidence boost after she has played only three matches since September 30, owing to early exits at the China Open (second round) and Wuhan Open (first round). On Monday, the match had barely started when torrential rain forced both players off court. Because the Osaka venue has no roof, the court was fully exposed to the weather. Only three games had been played in the first set at the time of the suspension, with Sakatsume leading 2-1.
Play resumed, but another rain delay followed with the score at 6-3 3-1 in Boulter's favour, forcing both players to return on Tuesday to finish the contest. When play restarted, the 30-year-old continued to dominate, winning seven of her eight service games overall and claiming five of nine break point chances.
Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the Ningbo Open in China with a left thigh injury, diminishing her chances of contesting the season-ending WTA Finals at Indian Wells next month. The six-time major winner lost to eventual champion Maja Chwalinska in the Wuhan Open semi-finals last week. Swiatek was one of three players in contention for the final spot in the eight-player WTA Finals field, alongside Karolina Muchova and Marta Kostyuk.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing