Raducanu was a set away from beating Boulter and making the Nottingham final.
Katie Boulter joked she needed “a defib” following a thriller Nottingham win over Emma Raducanu before declaring the 2021 US Open champion “an incredible player.”
Boulter, the top-ranked British female tennis player and the No. 3 seed in Nottingham, recovered from a set down to beat Raducanu 6-7 (13) 6-3 6-4 in the Nottingham semifinal. On Sunday evening, Boulter and Raducanu started their match, which was suspended after the 2021 US Open champion won a first set that lasted an hour and 20 minutes.
When Boulter and Raducanu resumed action on Sunday, the third-seeded Briton managed to complete a comeback win in a match that lasted three hours and 13 minutes.
Late in the third set, Boulter was twice up by a break but Raducanu twice came back. Serving for the match at 5-3, Boulter had a 30/0 on her serve but Raducanu miraculously recovered to get the break back. But luckily for Boulter, she was able to keep her focus and break Raducanu in the 10th game – the game in which the 2021 US Open champion was serving to stay in the match.
“I am going to need a defib because my heart rate is too high now,” Boulter joked after her three-hour thriller win over Raducanu.
Boulter full of praise for Raducanu after their match
“What a match. What an incredible player. She’s only going to get better and better. She makes it so tough for you to close it out. I’m just so happy to get through today. I’m proud of myself,” Boulter said of Raducanu’s game.
Had Raducanu defeated Boulter, she would have made her first final since the 2021 US Open. For the 21-year-old Briton, it was certainly disappointing to fall just short of making her first final in nearly three years but it was still a good start to the grass season.
Now, Raducanu will maybe rest a bit and return to the practice court before resuming action in Eastbourne, which starts on June 24th.
