Gutted Katie Boulter reacts to Paula Badosa loss as British hopes over at French Open
Katie Boulter was downbeat after losing to Paula Badosa in the first round of the French Open.
Katie Boulter was devastated after losing a late-night thriller against Paula Badosa at the French Open on Tuesday night. At the end of a rain-hit third day, the British No.1 and Badosa only started under the lights on Court 9 at 9.11pm local time.
From 2-4 down in the first set, the Leicester City fan won six consecutive games to claim the first set and go a break up in the second - and then had three breakpoints at 5-5 to serve for her first ever win here.
But former world No.2 Badosa fought back to win 4-6 7-5 6-4 when Boulter slapped a forehand into the net on her first match point at 11.29pm.
“I can’t speak for the others. I can only speak for myself and I have worked so hard to be in this position and I have just lost out in the finest of margins,” a downbeat Boulter reflected afterwards. “Ultimately I have done the very best that I can. I will keep doing the very best that I can and put my heart on the line every single match that I play.”
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She added: “I am really improving but today was not my day. It was an absolute battle and I gave it everything. The atmosphere was good fun. She just played better than me today. I feel I have got a really good shot of playing well on clay.”
Boulter joins Andy Murray, Jack Draper, Cam Norrie, Harriet Dart and Dan Evans in crashing out in the opening round in Paris. It is the first time that no British singles players have won a match at the clay-court Grand Slam since 2020 - and the fourth time this century.
Playing earlier under the roof on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, frustrated Dan Evans admitted: “I am fed up with umpires” after going out to Holger Rune.
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The British No.3 was fined at the Rome Masters earlier this month for disputing an incorrect line call. And Evans rowed with Spanish official Jaume Campistrol in the third set before going out 6-4 6-4 6-4 to the world No.13.
After his sixth consecutive Tour-level defeat, the world No.62 said: “I'm fed up with the umpires, flat full stop. Remember they do pretty much exactly the same as we do when we all wake up in the morning. They are humans and I think some of them forget that.”
World No.1 Novak Djokovic opened his defence of the title with a 6-4 7-6 6-4 win over French wildcard Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
