Katie Boulter marches on at Canadian Open but Harriet Dart crashes out
The British number one will now face Beatriz Haddad Maia on Thursday
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Your support makes all the difference.British number one Katie Boulter advanced to the second round of the Canadian Open after a tough 6-4 3-6 6-1 win over American qualifier Bernarda Pera.
Boulter had to navigate a difficult opening two sets before powering beyond Pera, who is ranked 80 in the world, in a dominant third.
The 28-year-old is now set to face Beatriz Haddad Maia on Thursday, who overcame Marie Bouzkova in three sets.
Boulter previously beat Haddad Maia en route to claiming the San Diego Open in March, and more recently, knocked her and partner Luisa Stefani out of the Women’s Doubles at the 2024 Olympics alongside Heather Watson.
The Team GB pair eventually fell to Italian duo Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani, who went on to claim the gold medal at the Paris Games. Boulter’s run for a singles medal was ended at the first hurdle by Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
Her last title came at the Nottingham Open in June after she retained her crown by beating Emma Raducanu in the semis, before taking down Karolina Pliskova in the final. This led to Boulter being seeded for the ladies draw at Wimbledon for the first time in her career - where her march to glory was quickly halted by Dart in the second round.
Harriet Dart didn’t fare so well in Canada, falling 3-6 6-3 6-7 (2-7) to world number 24 Diana Shnaider just days after she was taken off court in a wheelchair with severe cramp.
Although she progressed from qualifying to face the Russian as lucky loser, the 28-year-old was unable to see off the youngster who has won two of the last four entered tournaments, including an impressive win over Emma Navarro in Germany.
Boulter faces a major task to overcome Haddad Maia and a packed field in Canada. World number two Coco Gauff, Jelena Ostapenko and Daria Kasatkina rank among the favourites for the title that paves the way to the US Open at the end of the month.