By Ros Satar
- Katie Boulter [WC] def. Caroline Garcia 7-6(5) 6-1
- Simona Halep [2] is bidding to reach the Birmingham semi-final for the first time
BIRMINGHAM, UK – Katie Boulter is hitting the heights in Birmingham as she reaches the quarter-finals for the first time, to face No. 2 seed Simona Halep.
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Katie Boulter [WC] def. Caroline Garcia 7-6(5) 6-1
Having never made it past the first round in Birmingham, and with plenty of grass court tennis under her belt, Katie Boulter went from strength to strength against Caroline Garcia.
In a tight first set, Boulter broke at the end, but Garcia responded immediately to force a tie-break. Running away with the tie-break, it looked like a foregone conclusion for the Brit, but as she got tight, she lost a 4-0 lead, but finally got over the line with her first set point.
Garcia lost her concentration after a call had gone against her previously and it showed in the early games as Boulter coasted to a 4-0 lead, with the Frenchwoman only being able to get one game on the board.
She said, after the match: “I’m really proud of my performance today because I worked hard in being sharp and being ready for everything. For me, most importantly it’s about my enjoyment and being relaxed and happy on court. The grass-court season is such a privilege. I’m pretty excited to go back out there in a quarterfinal.”
Katie Boulter [WC] v Simona Halep [2] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Katie Boulter [WC] v Simona Halep | H2H: First Meeting |
| WTA Nottingham | UK |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: $6,200 |
| Third on Ann Jones Centre Court, not before not before 2pm | BBC Sport |
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Katie Boulter (WR 141) | Simona Halep (WR 20) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R1 (2018) | QF (2015) |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 33.7 | 42.0 |
| Return Points Won % | 44 | 53.2 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 52.1 | 75 |
| Break Points Saved % | 61.1 | 70 |
| Total Points Won % | 52.6 | 62.3 |
Not surprisingly Halep is supreme across the board, but she was caught napping initially by Harriet Dart in their round of 16 match, before Halep put the pedal to the metal and dispatched the Brit.
Playing Styles & Prediction
Halep may have had her doubts about continuing on the tour, but has never lost her gritty scrambling and will work Boulter hard, stopping her from relying on her aggressive baseline game. She will look to move Boulter around – but there have been times where the Brit has really excelled at the net on the grass and so might not be a complete pushover for the former Wimbledon champion.
Halep said, on reaching the quarter-final: “I feel great. I felt that my performance improved today. It was really tough on grass because she’s used to this surface, but I’m really pleased with the way I played. I have the fire, but the game not yet. Slowly I’m starting to connect with the court and I’m feeling better and better. I’m looking forward to playing as many matches as possible.”
Prediction: Halep in straight sets.
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