As Katie Boulter enters the final months of a career year in which she has established herself as a seeded player at the world’s biggest tennis tournaments, the pressing question is whether she is ready to embark on a long Grand Slam run. Boulter has already won several WTA titles, beaten numerous top players and earned the respect of her peers, but so far she has failed to reach the second week of a major.
After initial concerns in her first-round match at the US Open, Boulter remained composed, shrugged off her hesitant game and struck the ball with authority, recovering from a set down to defeat qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.
“I think it’s important that I start asserting myself in bigger tournaments because if I want to go from 30th to 20th (in the rankings), that’s a massive jump, and if I want to go from 20th to 10th, that’s a massive jump,” Boulter said.
“So for me it’s about looking at where I can start to win a little bit more, like more points. And obviously I need to play better, but I feel like I have the game to do it. I’ve shown that in the past. It’s just about putting in a little bit more effort in those weeks and making them a little bit more of a priority, which I just haven’t done before.”
Although things have been generally positive for Boulter, the last few months have been a mixed bag in singles. This win is her second complete singles victory since a disappointing loss to Harriet Dart in the second round of Wimbledon.
A few weeks after Wimbledon, Boulter fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming an Olympian. And she was not far from competing for a medal alongside Heather Watson when they reached the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles, where they lost to eventual gold medalists Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani.
However, Boulter was aware that the decision to compete on clay in Paris could come at the expense of her rhythm and form in the subsequent North American hard-court tournaments, where she can play at a much higher level.
Although Boulter came into Stage 17 as the clear favorite, Sasnovich is a top-class player who has secured a place in the top 100, even if her more modest achievements have been eclipsed by those of fellow Belarusians Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka.
Sasnovich is a solid baseliner with a beautiful backhand, but her biggest weakness can’t be ignored. Over the last year, Sasnovich has opted for a shortened, deconstructed serve motion where she starts with her racket already above her head in the trophy position and holds that stance for three long seconds.
While Sasnovich predictably struggled with her serve at times, she commanded the baseline early in the scorching heat of the afternoon, dominating most exchanges against a hesitant Boulter, who struggled to find her range and was punished when she became too passive.
From the start of the second set, Boulter was determined to attack from the first ball, take it early and advance inside the baseline. She played a great opening return game, attacked Sasnovich’s serve relentlessly and the momentum immediately changed when she broke. As Boulter fought to gain control of the match, Sasnovich’s serve began to crumble and the Brit marched to victory.
Boulter has spent much of her career in Sasnovich’s position as a lower-ranking qualifier and says that while she is getting used to her new status, she is determined to achieve more. “If I’m moving up the rankings, then I’m on the right track,” she said. “And I kind of see it that way and as a privilege to be in this position, but it just means I’m playing good tennis. It’s been a year of accomplishments for me, but that’s not something I want to rest on. I just want to keep going. And I know I’ve got a lot left in the bag.”
“It’s just about hitting it at the right time. And I’m also very realistic about it. I don’t expect to just shoot for the stars. I’m at a steady pace and I’m going to keep working hard. But I’m going to get there. I’m going to go much higher. I really feel it.”
Dan Evans produced one of the bravest performances of his career, defeating 23rd seed Karen Khachanov 6-7 (6), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 in a marathon match lasting 5 hours and 35 minutes, the longest US Open match in tournament history.
After leading two sets to one, Evans was trailing 4-0 in the final set and seemed headed for a brutal defeat. But as the match reached the five-hour mark, Evans was clearly physically fresher. He gradually came back into the game with grit and stamina, winning six games in a row to finish.
Evans has spent the last few years comfortably in the top 100, but after an early loss in New York, he is at risk of a massive fall in the rankings. Evans was still in the top 60 at the start of August, but fell to his current ranking of 186 after opting to compete in the Olympics rather than defend his ATP 500 title in Washington. A first-round loss in New York would have pushed the 34-year-old out of the top 220.
British No. 1 Jack Draper moved into the second round after his opponent, China’s Zhang Zhizhen, retired from a 6-3, 6-0, 4-0 lead. Draper, seeded 25th, will next face either Facundo Díaz Acosta or Hugo Gaston, with a possible third-round match against third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz looming.