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Boulter exits in Paris
Katie Boulter’s bid for a first appearance in the third round at Roland Garros ended when she lost in a deciding set to 28th seed Anastasia Potapova, with the Russian-born Austrian winning 5-7 6-4 6-2.
The match was moved from its original court six to court 13, where Emma Raducanu, Cameron Norrie and Fran Jones had already lost, and Boulter took the opening set before Potapova found her rhythm on serve.
BBC Sport said Potapova will face defending champion Coco Gauff in round three as she bids to reach the second week of a major for only the second time in her career.
Boulter told BBC Radio 5 Live, "I have to keep reminding myself that I got my first win on clay last year and I'm here now testing some of the better players on a clay court and that is important to me," after the defeat ended British interest in the singles competitions at the French Open.
No Britons left
The BBC reported that Boulter’s loss meant there were no Brits in the singles third round, with Francesca Jones also losing in the second round while Emma Raducanu, Cameron Norrie, Jacob Fearnley and Toby Samuel went out in round one.
In the same tournament run, the London Evening Standard said Boulter “might have feared the worst” when her match was moved to court 13, after Emma Raducanu, Cameron Norrie and Fran Jones had already lost.
Boulter’s match against Potapova featured seven breaks of serve in an untidy opening set, but the BBC said Potapova converted both of her break points in the third to complete the win.
Even as the British singles interest ended, Boulter said, "Today the match was exactly what I wanted it to be," describing the way she was aggressive and struck the ball on clay.
Potapova-Gauff and next
With Potapova advancing, the BBC said she will face defending champion Coco Gauff in round three, while it also noted that world number one Aryna Sabalenka and 2025 champion Gauff advanced with straight-set wins.
“- Published Katie Boulter lost in a deciding set to 28th seed Anastasia Potapova, ending British interest in the singles competitions at the French Open”
The BBC described Sabalenka’s path as she won 7-5 6-2 against France’s Elsa Jacquemot, setting up a third-round tie with Daria Kasatkina.
In the women’s draw, the Last Word On Sports preview listed WTA French Open second-round action in Paris and set a Thursday schedule including Sabalenka – Jacquemot at 9:30 EST and Boulter – Potapova at 10:30 EST.
Boulter’s own post-match focus, according to the BBC, was returning to full fitness for the upcoming grass-court tournaments, with her illness affecting her in recent days and her “number one priority” being full recovery.
