Katie Boulter’s blistering opening did not translate into an upset as top seed Jasmine Paolini came from a set down to win 0-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the Merida Open quarter-finals.
The British No 2 stunned world No 7 Paolini by taking the first set to love in just 28 minutes, conceding only three points on Paolini’s serve and forcing the Italian to wait until trailing 40-0 at 5-0 to register her first winner. Boulter stayed competitive thereafter but was undone by too many serve errors, which prevented her from sustaining the momentum.
Paolini, a former French Open and Wimbledon finalist, steadied in the second set, holding for the first time at the start and shifting the match’s momentum. Boulter missed break chances in the third game, allowing Paolini to move 3-1 ahead; Boulter replied with an immediate break to love, but three of the next four games went against serve before Paolini closed out the set.
The Italian opened the decider 2-0. Boulter broke back and held to cut the deficit to 3-2, but Paolini grew in confidence and reeled off four consecutive games to seal her place in the semi-finals.
After the match Paolini reflected on the turnaround: “It was a really tough one – Katie, the first set she was smashing every ball and hitting a winner everywhere. I was telling myself to play more deep in the court and hit the ball harder because I had to raise the level to try and win the match and in the end it worked out. I was trying to be calm, to think what I had to do. I think when you’re nervous you can’t find the solutions.”
Indian Wells wild cards
Bianca Andreescu and Sloane Stephens have been handed wild cards into the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, joining seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the field. Andreescu, the 2019 Indian Wells and US Open champion, returns to the event for the first time since 2023 and has climbed to No 164 after winning two ITF titles this year.
On the men’s side, 39-year-old Gael Monfils received a singles wild card and will make his final appearance in the Coachella Valley. He will be joined by rising Spaniard Rafael Jodar and Columbia University standout Michael Zheng, who notably upset Sebastian Korda at this year’s Australian Open. Main-draw matches at the 2026 BNP Paribas Open begin on Wednesday, March 4, with qualifying from Sunday, March 1; the singles draw features 96 players, including the world’s top 10.
Medvedev into Dubai final against Griekspoor
Daniil Medvedev reached the Dubai Tennis Championships final and will face unseeded Tallon Griekspoor after a dominant 6-4, 6-2 semi-final win over top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in 83 minutes. The third seed has enjoyed a strong week in Dubai, dispatching Shang Juncheng, Stan Wawrinka, Jenson Brooksby and Auger-Aliassime all in straight sets as he chases a second Dubai title to add to his 2023 triumph.
“It has been an amazing four matches, probably playing better and better each match, today being the best performance,” Medvedev said. “If I can put in an even better performance tomorrow, I will have my chances to win and that is what I am going to try to do.”
Griekspoor, a three-time ATP 250 champion, will be bidding for his first ATP 500 trophy when he meets Medvedev in the final.