Katie Boulter continued her revival with a hard-fought opening-round victory over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro at the Miami Open, gaining sweet revenge for her US Open defeat to the Spaniard in 2024.
Boulter, who received direct entry into the main draw after a consistent couple of months on the WTA Tour, recovered from 6-2 down in the first-set tie-break to beat Bouzas Maneiro 7-6 (11-9), 6-4.
The British No 3 made a strong start in the main draw, progressing in one hour and 48 minutes to set up a second-round meeting with 17th seed Clara Tauson.
The 29-year-old had picked up her fourth tour-level title last month at the Ostrava Open and backed that up by reaching the quarter-finals at the Merida Open. Despite losing in qualifying at Indian Wells, she put on a strong showing in Florida, saving six set points in a prolonged opening-set tie-break and eventually closing it out after more than an hour of play.
Boulter maintained her level in the second set. After being broken early, she broke back and served out the match.
On the match, Boulter told Sky Sports’ Laura Robson: “It was unfortunate I got broken from love-40. I thought I played a really good game and I kind of gave a couple of points away on double faults. It was a small mistake but I didn’t let that control so I focused on myself and managed to go for it in the last game and trust my shots.”
“It’s really difficult out here. It’s cold, it’s windy but you still want to commit and she is a player who goes after her shots a lot and if you don’t go after it she’s going to control you and you’re going to get into a bit of trouble. Whenever I got broken she was going for her shots and I think she played some great tennis.”
“It is tricky with the serve, you have kind of got to keep your first serve percentage up and try and get a bit of shape on it which I felt I did well at times and stuck to the right shots I was trying to hit throughout the rest.”
Boulter, who was beaten by Bouzas Maneiro at the 2024 US Open, admitted that previous meeting had been on her mind. “That kind of stung me and I wanted revenge,” she said. “It was the first thing I thought of when I saw the draw. I actually let that one get away from me but I know how good a player she is and I felt like the level and quality of our tennis tonight was good but really pleased with the way I played today.”
Brits in action on Wednesday include three-time Miami Open winner Venus Williams, who returns for her 23rd Miami Open against Britain’s Fran Jones, while Arthur Fery, who qualified for his first Masters 1000, faces former French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Night Session – Not Before midnight
Grandstand
Fran Jones vs [WC] Venus Williams
Butch Buchholz
Not Before midnight
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Arthur Fery
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