I’m going to have my moment – Katie Boulter vows to make grand slam breakthrough
The 22nd seed was beaten 7-6 (3) 2-6 6-2 by Russian Veronika Kudermetova at the Australian Open.
Katie Boulter is confident her grand slam breakthrough will come despite another disappointing second-round loss.
The 28-year-old has now completed a year of being seeded at the major tournaments but has only three wins to show for it, with her four defeats coming against players with a combined ranking of 388.
The latest came on a chilly Court 3 at the Australian Open, where Boulter turned around her match against Russian world number 75 Veronika Kudermetova only to fall to a 7-6 (3) 2-6 6-2 defeat.
Like her loss to Paula Badosa at the French Open, the ranking of her opponent was slightly misleading given Kudermetova was a top-10 player not that long ago before a slump last year.
She began and ended the match extremely well, while the key to the result was a strong tie-break from the Russian after Boulter had fought back from 5-1 down in the opening set.
“I pride myself on every single week I go out and put everything I have on the court,” said Boulter, who was watched by fiance Alex De Minaur.
“I felt like today I didn’t quite get there. Obviously losing a match like that hurts, but I’m someone that’s going to keep showing up.
“Of course, I want to have a run in a grand slam but, ultimately, I do feel like that will come. It’s just a matter of time.
“My level, when I think back to it over these last three weeks, has been above my normal level for a long period of time now. If I keep putting that in every single day, then I know I’m going to have my moment.
“Whether it’s today, whether it’s in a year, whether it’s the end of this year, whether it’s the middle of the year, I cannot tell you.”
Boulter went into the tournament buoyed by an excellent showing at the United Cup in Sydney, where she claimed two straightforward wins and then pushed Iga Swiatek to three tight sets.
In her pre-tournament press conference, the British number one, who has won three WTA Tour titles, spoke of prioritising the grand slams more.
“I’m getting older, but I’m still new at this,” said Boulter, who is ranked 25th. “I’m still very fresh into this position that I’m in. I’m very well aware that you’ve got to be playing week in, week out and winning matches in all different types of levels to maintain your ranking and increase it even more so.
“I think every single week that I play is another opportunity, whether it’s a grand slam or not. Of course, I want to have a run in a grand slam but, ultimately, I do feel like that will come. It’s just a matter of time.
“I can hand on heart say I have given everything I could coming into this tournament to prioritise it.”
A victory for Boulter would have set a new record for British singles players in the third round of the Australian Open but Emma Raducanu is now the only female representative while Jack Draper and Jacob Fearnley are still going in the men’s event.
