Katie Boulter is knocked out of Wimbledon as defending champion Elena Rybakina overwhelms her, winning 6-1 6-1 on Centre Court at the All England Club; Boulter was Britain's last remaining hope left in the singles draw at Wimbledon this year
Sunday 9 July 2023 09:27, UK
Elena Rybakina pitilessly dispatched home crowd favourite Katie Boulter to eliminate the last British hope in the singles draw at Wimbledon this year.
Rybakina, the defending champion, wasted little time beating Britain's Boulter in straight sets, 6-1 6-1.
Boulter could only get one game off Rybakina in both sets, with the cheers of a devoted but softly deflating Centre Court crowd unable to inspire her to match the Kazakh's level of performance.
Boulter did win her first service game in style, forcing Rybakina to reach for a cross-court strike that she could only knock back into the net. But the rest of the set would spiral out of her grasp from there.
Rybakina hit her first ace of the match with ominous power in the third game and more would follow.
A brief exchange in a rally finished with Rybakina heaving a long shot into the corner but far out of Boulter's reach.
Boulter salvaged the first break point when she extended Rybakina, who drove the ball down too low. But Boutler was broken in the fourth game of the second set, fluffing a slice softly into the net.
Rybakina turned up the power from there, striking shots cleanly and low over the net.
In the sixth game Boutler was keeping in touch, especially when she put an ace past the Kazakh. Only to double fault and let Rybankina back in. She didn't need a second invitation. Placing her shots well she continued to rack up games and sealed the first set with an ace.
Rybakina had Boulter under pressure too in the first game of the second set, forcing through another break and maintain control of the contest.
In defiant moments Boulter did win certain points with stylish finishes, that the Centre Court crowd applauded whole-heartedly.
But her consistency couldn't match Rybakina's. The Kazakh was too powerful and too accurate.
She drove a backhand across the court, rushed the net to pop Boulter's reply back into clear space, gunning for a break in the second set that would win her the match.
Rybakina found it too.
In a rally on an advantage point, she moved Boulter from one side of the court to the other, until finally placing the ball inside the line but way beyond the Briton, who chased after it but could only watch it run away from her.
"I was playing really well and I was focused from the beginning to the end. It was a really long day for us and I am looking forward to the next round," Rybakina said afterwards.
"I knew what to expect. Of course I knew it was going to be a tough one, but I heard some support and it was a really nice atmosphere, no matter that more support was towards Katie. Overall I am just happy that I was focused from beginning to end.
"All day I was waiting. I was watching. I watched the guys and how they played. It was a really long day, not easy, but we've got used to the situation and I was prepared."
Friday had been a bruising day for British hopes at Wimbledon with tournament legend Andy Murray losing out, new men's No 1 Cam Norrie beaten and sudden sensation Liam Broady being eliminated too.
Saturday was similarly punishing. As well as Boulter's defeat, British pair Harriet Dart and Heather Watson lost in the second round of the women's doubles tournament.
They had won the first set widely, but then Serbia's Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalijova came back to take the next two.
With the Serbian pair serving out the match, Watson and Dart held on in the last game, taking them to deuce.
But Hruncakova and Mihalijova took the advantage point and converted it to take a 1-6 6-2 6-4 victory.
