Britain's Katie Boulter produced the greatest performance of her career on Friday, battling to a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 victory over world No 2 and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina at the Queen's Club. The win is the biggest of Boulter's career, surpassing her previous best victory over WTA No 5 Jessica Pegula, and marks the highest-ranked opponent any British player has defeated since Johanna Konta upset Simona Halep in 2017.
Emma Raducanu also enjoyed a successful day, defeating seventh seed Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals. However, her match against Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova was postponed due to a congested, rain-delayed schedule, forcing the winner to play two matches on Saturday.
Boulter, who had already defeated Jaqueline Cristian 6-1, 6-3 earlier in the day, credited the crowd for her victory. “Honestly, I’m not really sure what to say, but I really feel like this win definitely goes towards the crowd that got me through it tonight and stayed out here,” she said. “The atmosphere was absolutely incredible. I just tried to tell myself to keep backing myself and go for it.”
In a match between two tall, big servers, Boulter was bolder and cleaner down the stretch, clinching the win with emphatic serving. Rybakina had conceded just four points on her serve in the first five games, but a lapse at 5-5 allowed Boulter to break and take the first set. After Rybakina dominated the second set, Boulter regrouped in the third, improving her serving to build rhythm and secure the victory.
Earlier, Raducanu produced her best performance of the season to defeat Cirstea, the world No 18. This is the first time in over a year that Raducanu has beaten a top 20 opponent. Rakhimova advanced by defeating Britain's Harriet Dart 5-7, 6-1, 7-5. The winner of Raducanu's postponed match will face 18-year-old sixth seed Iva Jovic, who secured her first top five win over Amanda Anisimova.
Rain on Thursday postponed all matches, leading to a hectic Friday with second-round victors playing twice. By the time Boulter and Rybakina took the court at 5.41pm, it was clear not all matches would be completed. Saturday will be challenging for the winner of Raducanu's match, who will face Jovic at a competitive disadvantage.
