Britain’s Katie Boulter reached the final of the WTA 250 Ostrava Open on Friday, beating Katie Volynets 6-1 6-3 in the semi-final after an hour and 22 minutes in the Czech Republic, and in the championship match she will meet Tamara Korpatsch, who defeated Diane Parry 6-4 6-4 after just under 2 hours.
I would have liked to do it on the first match point, not the second. So no, I am never satisfied, but of course very happy with today. I feel like she really stepped away from it in the second one, and I tried to match it as much as I could, and just keep trusting myself, and just keep going for it no matter what, and in the end it paid off. Katie Boulter
“I think for me this week it was about building momentum,” Boulter said. “And I feel like I did that. After a tough year last year, this was exactly the start I needed. I just have to get my body used to it again.”
“I’m just really proud of myself for getting through the last few games.”
Boulter has lost just one set in her four matches in Ostrava, and that was in her opener against wildcard Lucie Havlickova, before finding her stride in the next three.
The win has seen the former British No.1 rise to No. 101 in the live rankings, and if she can complete her comeback story in Ostrava and capture the title on Saturday, she will return to the Top 100 next week.
Her ranking fell from a career high of 23 after a disappointing 2025 season that was blighted by injuries, and she admits this new season is very much a reset for her.
Last month she was on the verge of qualifying for the Australian Open as her ranking no longer guaranteed her a place in the main draw for Grand Slams after last year’s troubles, but she came in as a last-minute alternate when others withdrew, losing her opener to 10th seed Belinda Bencic.
“I see this as a complete reset for me, I’m starting over,” said 29-year-old Boulter. “I don’t expect miracles this week. I don’t expect miracles next week. It will be a process. Everything is fresh and exciting again.”
“Seeing January 1, 2026 was a good start. I’m getting married this year. It’s going to be an incredible year, one of the best of my life, no matter what happens on the tennis court. I think that has already given me a positive boost.”
“I feel like I have a new coach, a new setup, everything is fresh and exciting again. Whereas I feel like I was dragging my feet a bit at the end of last year, trying to get through the whole year without injuries.”
“I’d like to go out and play a lot of matches. I don’t attach any importance to playing qualifiers in any tournaments. I’m actually really looking forward to going and playing some tournaments, even lower ones.”
WTAtennis.com
Enjoying the exciting revival of her fortunes, Boulter continued her strong form against the tricky American Volynets, producing an inspired performance, with no signs of nerves as she powered her way past her opponent.
“I would have liked to do it on the first match point, not on the second. So no, I am never satisfied, but obviously very satisfied with today,” Boulter said on court afterwards. “I feel like she really stepped off in the second one, and I just tried to match it as much as I could, and just keep trusting myself, and just keep going for it no matter what, and in the end it paid off.”
However, the British No. 4 needed some stiff defense to avoid being broken as the second set progressed, saved by her serve, which had let her down so often last year.
“Yeah, I mean, I think that was huge,” she added. “Um, I think there were obviously two breaks before that in the second set, and it could have easily changed the momentum, and I just tried to make sure I didn’t let that happen, as much as I could, and kept fighting, and I think I did a good job of getting myself out of trouble there, and yeah, I’m just really happy with it.”
Unseeded and ranked No. 120, Boulter has reached her fifth career tour-level final after converting five of her 11 break point chances and being broken only once in seven chances on her serve, while winning 69.7% of her first serve points, including 11-for-12 in the first set.
In the final, Boulter will meet 30-year-old Tamara Korpatsch, number 124, after the German also won in straight sets, beating France’s Diane Parry despite six double faults and saving six of the nine break points against her.
Although the two have never played against each other before, Korpatsch is looking for her second career title, having won in Cluj-Napoca three years ago, while Boulter is looking to add to her three trophies, having won Nottingham in 2023 and 2024, and San Diego, also in 2024.
Meanwhile, Boulter’s thoughts never stray too far from her wedding plans to Top 10 star Alex de Minaur.
“We haven’t done anything in about a year and two months,” she admitted with a laugh. “We have a date. We have a location. I wouldn’t say we’re the most organized of couples. I would say we kind of go with the flow, hoping everything will work itself out, and we’ll show up and hopefully say ‘yes,’ and that’s it.”
A bit like Saturday’s final, when the champion enters the Top 100 in the mid-80s next Monday.
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