Katie Boulter Defeats Harriet Dart In Marathon Nottingham Match

• Boulter, ranked 30th in the world, began her grass-court season with the win, having won her first WTA title in Nottingham last year.
• The opening set went to a tiebreak, which Dart narrowly won after both players struggled to hold serve.
• In the second set, Boulter broke Dart’s serve early and held on to level the match. Dart argued with the umpire over a line call during the set.

Newsypeople- Katie Boulter defeated Harriet Dart in a marathon match at the Nottingham Open, advancing to the second round with a 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 7-5 victory.

The match lasted for three hours and 13 minutes, marking the beginning of Katie Boulter’s grass-court season. Boulter, the defending champion and British number one, ranked 30th in the world, praised Dart’s impressive grass-court skills and acknowledged the intense battle they had.

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The opening set was a closely contested affair, with both players experiencing difficulties holding serve. Four breaks each led to a tiebreak, which Dart narrowly won.

Katie Boulter gets the win against Harriet Dart 💪

A hard-fought victory against the British number two in the Nottingham Open first round.#BBCTennis | @the_LTA pic.twitter.com/yliRSolCnr

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 10, 2024

Boulter broke Dart’s serve in the first game of the second set and held her own to end a sequence of five consecutive breaks.

In a lengthy seventh game, Dart argued with the chair umpire over a questionable line call, leading to a heated exchange that continued into the change of ends.

Dart even offered a £50,000 bet that the ball was out. An unfazed Boulter served out the set and forced a decider.

In the final set, Boulter broke early and appeared to be taking command, but Dart fought back to level the set on her fifth break point. However, Boulter soon broke again and served out the win on her third match point.

Boulter will next face either Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland or Canada’s Rebecca Marino. Meanwhile, British number two Jack Draper started his grass season with a victory in the Stuttgart Open, defeating Sebastian Ofner 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5).

Draper, 22, expressed his satisfaction with the win, stating, “When it came down to it, I’m glad I competed really hard and got over the line. It’s good to be back on the grass.”

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