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Siniakova Beats Boulter 6-1, 6-4 in Japan Open Semifinal

Katerina Siniakova won 6-1, 6-4 in 85 minutes in Osaka, but Boulter's semifinal run had already restored her as British number one ahead of Sonay Kartal and put her back inside the world top 50.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Siniakova Beats Boulter 6-1, 6-4 in Japan Open Semifinal

Key points

  • Katerina Siniakova beat Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-4 in the Japan Open semifinals in Osaka on Saturday, ending a run that had already given the British player the result she came for.
  • Boulter, the eighth seed, had produced the comeback of her week on Friday, beating Antonia Ruzic 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
  • The second set gave Boulter a foothold.

Katerina Siniakova beat Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-4 in the Japan Open semifinals in Osaka on Saturday, ending a run that had already given the British player the result she came for. By reaching the last four, Boulter reclaimed the British number one ranking from Sonay Kartal and secured a return to the world's top 50 when the rankings update.

Boulter, the eighth seed, had produced the comeback of her week on Friday, beating Antonia Ruzic 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. A day later she ran into the world doubles number one in sharp singles form. Siniakova, ranked 86th in singles, won the first five games of the match, and Boulter had to save a set point just to avoid losing the opening set without a game.

The second set gave Boulter a foothold. She broke early, then saved six break points in a long ninth game as she tried to protect her serve and level the match. Siniakova converted in the end, broke, and served out the win at the first opportunity. The match lasted 85 minutes.

What the week still gave Boulter

This was Boulter's third semifinal of the season, and it settles the domestic ranking question that Kartal had reopened by reaching the Wuhan Open final last week. Boulter moves back above Kartal, two places ahead, and re-enters the top 50 on the strength of her wins in Osaka. At 30, and working through a season shaped by injury recovery, the ranking return is the number that travels with her into the final weeks of the year.

Sunday's final

Siniakova, a 12-time Grand Slam doubles champion, now plays for her first singles title in three years in the 11th singles final of her career. Her opponent is Ashlyn Krueger of the United States, the 2023 champion in Osaka, who beat top seed Ann Li 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in the other semifinal. The final is scheduled for Sunday, October 25, at the Utsubo Tennis Center in Osaka, not before 1:30 p.m. local time.

For Boulter, the week ends without a shot at a fifth WTA singles title, but with the British number one ranking restored and a top-50 place secured. That trade was visible in the search numbers before the semifinal was even played: her name sat near the top of United States Google Trends on Saturday morning, driven by the ranking story as much as the result.

Sources