HSBC Championships 2025: Katie Boulter bows out in second round three set battle at The Queen’s Club
• 2 MINUTE READ
Katie Boulter struggled to build on her first set lead as she fell to fifth seed Diana Shnaider on the Andy Murray arena.
The British No.1 battled for an hour and 55 minutes but struggled to keep up momentum, eventually losing 6-2, 3-6, 2-6 to the world No.12.
The match sees the end of Boulter’s run at The Queen’s Club after winning her opening match in three sets against Australian qualifier and former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanovic.
She also missed out on a spot in the women’s doubles semi-final alongside compatriot Emma Raducanu after they lost to top seeds Erin Routliffe and Lyudmyla Kichenok.
Speaking after the match, the Brit was focusing on the positives of her run and her time at the new event.
“I felt like there were some really, really positives to take from the match. Ultimately she's a very good player and I expected a really tough match, especially with her ranking, but at the same time, I felt like I played some much better grass court tennis than I had done previously. It's a step in the right direction and roll on the next weeks.
“I've absolutely loved my time here. Obviously, as a British player, I always take these losses a lot harder than most of the other ones. I want to do well here. I wish I could have been here longer, but also at the same time, I am very well aware that a lot of tournaments are based on draws and matchups and who you play and who you don't and today she was better than me. Credit to her, she's been playing some really good stuff over the past year.”
Boulter got off to a strong start in the first match of the day on the Andy Murray Arena. The three-time WTA titleholder rallied to a break to love in the fifth game of the opener after hitting one of the shots of the day in the process – a perfectly placed volley passing Shnaider to sit on the baseline. From there, the 28-year-old was spurred on to a run of three consecutive games to take the opening set.
However, the Brit began to struggle on serve in the second – landing just 43% of her first serves. Shnaider stepped up the aggression on return and looked to attack Boulter’s second serve, where she won 72% (13/17) of points and was rewarded with a double break cushion. The world No.34 dug deep to claw back a break from the 2024 Bad Homburg champion but an easy hold to love secured the second set for the world No.12.
The third set continued Shnaider’s favour as she capitalised on Boulter’s shaky serve. The fifth seed converted two of her eight break points in the decider to seal the double break before closing out the win as Boulter launched the ball long.
Boulter will now continue her grass court season by making her way to the Lexus Nottingham Open next week, where she will bid to be crowned champion for the third successive year.
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