By Ros Satar
- Katie Boulter def Wang Yafan 5-7 6-1 6-4
- Boulter v Peyton Stearns
- H2H: Stearns leads 1-0
NEW YORK, USA – British No. 1 Katie Boulter reached the third round of the US Open for the first time, where she will face USA’s Peyton Stearns.
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Katie Boulter def Wang Yafan 5-7 6-1 6-4
After Wang Yafan downed the struggling seventh seed Caroline Garcia, Katie Boulter found herself swiftly on the back foot early in the match. She dug deep to break back and get back on level terms and it looked as through the momentum was with the Brit.
However, three set points came and went and Boulter could not find the breakthrough against a less powerful but quite wily Wang, who broke in the next game and only needed one set point to take the lead.
The second set was a far nervier affair with a flurry of breaks which put Boulter back in the driving seat, and she sealed the comeback breaking once more and then finally converting on a fifth set point.
The decider was, in comparison, on a lot surer ground for both players but Boulter was once more tested, having to fend off two break points before breaking Wang in the next game.
Two more break points came Wang’s way, but Boulter pushed ahead to take the match and reaching a third round of a Slam for a third time (Wimbledon 2022, 2023).
Katie Boulter v Peyton Stearns | H2H: Stearns leads 1-0
| Katie Boulter v Peyton Stearns | H2H: Stearns leads 1-0 |
| US Open | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $191,000 |
| Fourth on Grandstand, not before 6pm (11pm BST) | Sky <- Subscription required |
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Katie Boulter (WR 61) | Peyton Stearns (WR59) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R1 (2021) | R1 (2022) |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 42.2 | 36.4 |
| Return Points Won % | 47.9 | 44.9 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 51.7 | 60.8 |
| Break Points Saved % | 51.3 | 57.6 |
| Total Points Won % | 53.7 | 50.0 |
There is very little between them in terms of ranking, but Boulter just has the edge at getting into her opponents’ return games, but Stearns comes out on top both in terms of converting her chances to break and getting herself out of trouble.
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Playing Styles & Prediction
In comparison to Boulter’s rollercoaster second round, Stearns has been very efficient with two straight sets wins, and a steady pre-US Open swing leading up to New York. She also has the measure of Boulter, having defeated her in the US hard-court spring swing.
Boulter should take confidence from a hard-fought win, which saw her having to dig really deep to come through a match many might have thought she should have breezed through.
With just a couple of rankings spots between them, and close in stats – Boulter will most likely have to dig deep once more. Both players have made it to third rounds of slams before – Stearns having reached that stage at Roland Garros this year. So new territory waits for either player.
Prediction: Boulter in three sets.
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