Skip to content
Analysis

Katie Boulter: Laura Robson believes the sky's the limit for British No 1 with top 20 not out of the question

Katie Boulter will head to Indian Wells seeded and in red-hot form with Laura Robson backing her to crack the top 20 in the world; you can watch Indian Wells live on Sky Sports plus over 80 tournaments a year, including the US Open, exclusively live on Sky Sports Tennis

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Laura Robson has backed British No 1 Katie Boulter to crack the WTA top 20 following her success in San Diego

Sky Sports Tennis analyst Laura Robson feels "the sky's the limit" for Katie Boulter after the British No 1 came from behind to win the San Diego Open.

The 27-year-old from Leicester sealed a battling 5-7 6-2 6-2 victory over Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk to earn a second career title.

The win in California gave Boulter her second WTA title, adding to a maiden championship on grass in Nottingham last summer.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Boulter took home a surfboard following her sensational comeback win over Marta Kostyuk in the San Diego Open final
She's got a couple of days off before the first round in Indian Wells so she will be physically really fresh and she doesn't have anything to defend, so she's probably thinking top 20 already.
Laura Robson on Katie Boulter

"It was so good," Robson told Sky Sports News. "I was talking to her before the match and she was just excited to go out there and play. When you have that energy going into a final, the nerves aren't kicking in yet, she was thinking about the tactical part of it.

"I think it was a great match-up for her against Marta Kostyuk because she gets so much power, so she knew going into it she was going to have a great chance. But to actually do it in a tough three-setter and just over two hours after what's been quite a long week for her beating other top-20 players in [Beatriz] Haddad Maia and [Donna] Vekic has been fantastic.

"What a way to head into Indian Wells."

All five victories Boulter recorded at the tournament came against top-50 opponents, but it was not much of a surprise for Robson, who feels the momentum has been building for a while.

Also See:

"It's been slow and steady progress which I think has been the biggest change because it doesn't feel overwhelming in the moment when you have these big wins," she said.

"She started the year really well by beating Jessica Pegula in one of her first matches. You're thinking 'wow' she's really hitting it big but she's been playing really consistent tennis and she's really improved her movement so much.

"I think a lot of people kind of didn't expect her to miss the Middle Eastern swing in Doha and Dubai because she knew she wanted quite a big training block going into these American tournaments and what a difference it's made!

"Physically, she's looking stronger than ever, so for me not a surprise at all actually."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Boulter admits she is playing some of her best tennis following her win in San Diego, and says she still has to decide where the surfboard will go in her home!

Boulter has had a flying start to the 2024 season and the victory over Kostyuk sees her break into the top 30 for the first time, now ranked 27th and automatically seeded for Indian Wells.

"She's cracked the top 30 this week and I feel like the sky's the limit really because it's been slow and steady progress. It doesn't feel like top 20 is out of the question," added Robson.

"She doesn't have a lot to defend until around the grass season in the summer so she'll be thinking 'what tournaments can I play by creating a smart schedule for myself to pick up some good wins?'.

"She's got a couple of days off before the first round in Indian Wells so she will be physically really fresh and she doesn't have anything to defend, so she's probably thinking top 20 already.

"Last year she was playing Australian Open qualifying and trying to get back inside the top 100, which felt a long way off, but suddenly we're already there."

How to watch play on Sky Sports Tennis

The stars of tennis will appear on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel every day
Image: The stars of tennis will appear on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel every day

Sky Sports has confirmed a new home for tennis in the UK and Ireland, with Sky Sports Tennis on Sky and NOW, making tennis content available all day, every day for fans.

Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else, bringing over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments a year on the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as full coverage of the US Open, all exclusively live.

Non-Sky subscribers can stream live matches with a NOW Sports Day and Month Membership, via Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports Arena, and Sky Sports Mix channels.

For further access, fans will also be able to follow their favourite players and gain deeper insights from both Tours via Sky Sports News, the Sky Sports app, on SkySports.com and via Sky Sports social channels.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Find out all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours

Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp!

You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel!

Find out more here

Watch the WTA and ATP Tours throughout 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - just £21 a month for 12 months. No contract, cancel anytime.