Both Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal lost their opening matches at the Australian Open on Day 3, leaving British No. 1 Emma Raducanu as Britain’s sole remaining representative at Melbourne Park.
It was a very difficult first set. I felt like she has such a unique playing style that it took me a while to adapt and get used to the way she hits the ball. She takes up so much time, which is unique compared to many tennis players. It took me a moment to understand that. Katie Boulter
With the retirement of Fran Jones on Monday, Raducanu’s British hopes now only go to the second round, where she will face Russia’s Anastasia Potapova on Wednesday. after Katie Boulter was defeated by Belinda Bencic, the No. 10 seed from Switzerland, 6-0 7-5 on Tuesday night.
Boulter has fallen to 113th in the rankings and only found herself in the main draw at the last minute, pitting her against the most in-form player on tour this season.
However, the British No. 4 rallied in the second set before sliding to an hour and 27 minute defeat to Bencic. He joined Kartal, who fell 7-6(3) 6-1 to Russia’s No. 31 Anna Kalinskaya earlier on Tuesday afternoon.
Boulter has reset after a deeply disappointing 2025 season, switching coaches to American Michael Joyce and channeling the excitement of her upcoming wedding to Alex De Minaur.
He sat courtside in her box at Margaret Court Arena, but finding positivity in the first set was difficult as Boulter could only muster 10 points while getting a bagel in just 26 minutes.
Before the match, Boulter had said she was under no pressure against the in-form Bencic.
“I’m just going to go out there and swing,” Boulter said. “I really don’t think there’s any pressure. I don’t think there’s anyone in this room that thinks I’m going to win that match.”
© Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Bencic defeated both Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini at the United Cup earlier this month to return to the Top 10. She is riding a winning streak just over a year after returning to the sport following the birth of her daughter Bella.
Early in the second set, Boulter stopped the rot and held serve for the first time, prompting the crowd to cheer on the former British No. 1 with chants of ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie’ as she gradually gained a foothold in the match.
She now started to harass Bencic with her big forehand and hit straight back as the 10th seed broke her to lead 4-3, but the Swiss former Olympic gold medalist pushed the pace again and this time Boulter could find no answer.
“It was a very tough first set,” Boulter said. “I felt like she has such a unique playing style that it took me a moment to adjust and get used to the way she hits the ball. She takes up so much time, and it’s unique compared to a lot of tennis players. It took me a moment to understand that.”
“I felt like I built a lot of pressure in the second. I definitely had my chances. I don’t think it was the cleanest match that came out of my racket. She was a class above me in the end. I felt like I had a shot in the second and that I could certainly play there in the third. I think that’s my conclusion. There are some clear positives. But there’s a lot to learn from it.”
After winning all five of her singles matches at the season-opening United Cup to return to the Top 10 for the first time since March 2023, Bencic said: “It means a lot. I don’t think we’ve realized it yet because we’re between tournaments, and you don’t want to think about it too much, but I think it really shows how much work it took to come back and make a comeback like we did, and I really hope it does.” doesn’t end here.”
A disappointed Sonay Kartal, the British No. 2, fell in 2 sets to Anna Kalinskaya, the No. 31 seed, in Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon
© Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Kartal, the British No. 2, who is ranked 66th, arrived in Melbourne after a very close loss to Elina Svitolina in Auckland. She continued her momentum from a strong finish to last season, but although she initially had the upper hand against Kalinskaya, she ultimately paid for relying too much on the Russian’s mistakes.
Kartal also played a poor tiebreak and her chances of a comeback evaporated as Kalinskaya opened a 5-0 lead in the second set.
“Apparently very disappointed,” said Kartal, who is still looking for her first victory at Melbourne Park. “For me it wasn’t my best level at all, even my basic level wasn’t really there today, something I rely on.
“I think if I could go back now and play that match again, I would play it in a completely different way. Maybe she has raised her level, but my level has dropped to a level that probably hasn’t been that low for years.”
“Last year I finished feeling good and feeling like I was training well. During the warm-up this morning I played well. I’m super disappointed, especially after Auckland. It’s a long old season ahead, so I’m not going to go too deep into this.”
Anna Kalinskaya took control in the breaker and ran away with the second set to beat Sonay Kartal on Day 3 of the Australian Open
© Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
#Melbourne #Boulter #Kartal #leave #stage #Raducanu