Katie Boulter booked her place in the second round of the Japan Open on Tuesday, beating home wildcard Himeno Sakatsume 6-3 6-1 a day after heavy rainfall in Osaka suspended play.
The world No 58 completed a dominant win in one hour and 32 minutes. She will next face Swiss player Viktorija Golubic for a place in the quarter-finals.
The victory gives Boulter a 20-20 record across her last 40 matches. It also gives her confidence a boost after she played only three matches since September 30, following early exits at the China Open (second round) and the Wuhan Open (first round).
Rain halts Boulter’s match twice
On Monday, Boulter and Sakatsume had barely started when torrential rain arrived in Osaka and forced them off court. The venue has no roof, so the court was open to all of the elements.
Only three games of the first set had been played, with Sakatsume leading 2-1 at the time of the suspension.
Play resumed, but a second rain delay followed with Boulter leading 6-3 3-1 (40-30). Both players had to leave the court and return on Tuesday to finish the contest.
When play restarted, the 30-year-old Boulter continued to dominate. She won seven of her eight service games overall and converted five of her nine break point chances.
Swiatek withdraws from Ningbo Open with left thigh injury
Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek withdrew from the Ningbo Open in China because of an injured left thigh. The injury diminishes her chances of reaching the season-ending WTA Finals at Indian Wells next month.
The six-time major winner lost to eventual champion Maja Chwalinska in the semi-finals at the Wuhan Open last week and struggled at times in that match.
“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to withdraw from the tournament,” Swiatek said in a statement the Ningbo tournament posted on social media Tuesday. “I’ve been experiencing an ongoing problem with my left thigh over the past weeks and I feel that giving myself the time to rest and recover is the right decision.”
Swiatek was one of three players in contention for the last spot in the eight-player WTA Finals field, along with Karolina Muchova and Marta Kostyuk, heading into this week’s tournaments.
In a preview of the Ningbo tournament, the WTA said Muchova will secure the remaining spot at the season-ending event in Indian Wells, which starts November 8, if Swiatek doesn’t reach the quarter-finals and Kostyuk doesn’t reach the final.