The hopes of Great Britain reaching the United Cup semi-finals were dashed when Katie Boulter was narrowly denied a stunning win over five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek by Poland. Boulter needed victory to prolong the best-of-three tie into a deciding doubles but lost 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4 against the world number two Swiatek in Sydney. At the net, the pair showed mutual respect with a warm embrace after an enthralling three-hour contest.
Poland, who were among the pre-tournament favourites, will take on Kazakhstan in the semi-finals on Saturday following their win over Britain. Boulter, who carried more belief from her best-ever career season last year, has been an instrumental presence for Great Britain in the mixed-gender team event. In the group stage, Boulter led her team into the quarter-finals with crucial singles victories against Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska and Australia’s Olivia Gadecki.
Facing Swiatek, the world number 24 represented a step up in class and an opportunity for Boulter to exhibit her abilities against the most dominant player on the WTA Tour during the previous three seasons. At 4-1 ahead in the first set, the rampant start by the Pole was ominous for the Briton, but Boulter displayed quality in a spirited response.
Boulter began matching Swiatek’s intensity with her baseline power, culminating in a contest which showcased the crisp ball-striking qualities of both players and took the match back on serve. Errors crept in as Boulter continued to pummel her groundstrokes with the Briton playing some of the best tennis of her career to move into a one-set lead. Sustaining that level was not going to be easy, however.
Despite taking an early break in the decider, momentum continued to fluctuate as Boulter bounced back while Swiatek took a medical timeout. The Briton lost the next eight points as her 2-1 lead turned into a 3-2 deficit before both players were unable to take further break points in the eighth and ninth games. If Boulter had taken advantage, it would have left her serving for the biggest win of her career by ranking. Instead, Swiatek broke Boulter to love, throwing her racquet high into the air to demonstrate her relief for coming through
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