In her last two Wimbledon appearances, Katie Boulter reached the third round.
“I know she made the semi-finals here a couple of years ago, and I can completely see why,” Boulter said. “She made me work for absolutely everything. I’m looking forward to the ice bath – I’m not sure I’ve said that before.”
Earlier, British number two Dart defeated China’s Zhuoxuan Bai 6-4 6-0. This marks the first time since 1987 that five British women have reached the Wimbledon second round. Dart, world number 94, didn’t lose serve against Bai, breaking the 21-year-old in the 10th game to win the first set. Only a rain interruption delayed her victory.
Reflecting on her upcoming match with Dart, Katie Boulter anticipates “an absolute battle” against her Billie Jean Cup team-mate. “Playing a Brit in the UK, on the grass, is never an easy draw,” she said. The pair last met at the Nottingham Open, where Boulter won in three sets.
Dart expressed similar sentiments about facing Boulter: “We’re team-mates, we played big tournaments, we’ve grown up together, we’ve been close. It’s always going to be tricky, especially against a fellow Brit. But it’s great to see that all of us are doing well and putting us in positions where we do get to play each other.”
Dart added, “The last few weeks I’ve had some really good matches, some that have gone my way, some that haven’t. Today I showed that. I was really clinical out there – I was pretty proud of that.” They were among 11 Britons in action on Tuesday after Andy Murray announced he would not play singles following his back operation.
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