I checked the story against the BBC report before writing (it’s real). The score and quotes below come from that report.
Katie Boulter beat Viktorija Golubic 6-2 7-6 (7-2) to reach the last 16 of the Hong Kong Open, though she let what should have been a routine finish slip away. The British number one was 6-2 5-2 up when an umpire’s decision unsettled her. She lost two service games in a row before steadying herself to win the tie-break.
Boulter later admitted the episode had “got under my skin”. She called the match a “lesson learned” from the closing weeks of a long season.
How a routine win turned tense
For most of an hour Boulter was well on top. She took the opening set 6-2 against the world number 89 and broke early in the second, and she served for the match at 5-2.
During that game a loud noise from outside the court distracted her mid-rally. Boulter asked for the point to be replayed and the umpire refused. She argued the call at the chair, and Golubic went on to break serve.
Boulter was still unsettled in her next service game and was broken again, which let Golubic level at 5-5. The Swiss player had looked beaten minutes earlier and was now pushing for a deciding set.
Boulter regained control in the tie-break. She took it 7-2 and closed out a straight-sets win that had been in real doubt.
“It was interesting,” Boulter said afterwards. “I was playing some really good tennis. I feel like I should have closed it out but a couple of things happened.
“There was a little bit of interesting judgement which got under my skin a little bit and, usually, I’m pretty good at batting it off but I was a little tired.
“It’s end of season and it seemed to get to me but lesson learned, I managed to get over the line.”
Unfinished business in Hong Kong
Boulter has had a mixed record at Victoria Park. In 2024 she reached the final, her third WTA final of that year, and lost 6-1 6-2 to Diana Shnaider. It was her first defeat in a WTA final, but the run lifted her to a career-high ranking of 23.
Her 2025 visit was much shorter. She was trailing Alexandra Eala 6-4 2-1 in the first round when she called the trainer, and she left the court in tears after retiring. At the time she was in danger of falling out of the world’s top 100.
That makes this win more significant. After a year of injuries and lost ranking, Boulter has come back to the event where she played her best tennis two years ago. She now has her first win there since that final.
Her autumn results suggest she is building momentum. Last month she reached the semi-finals of the Japan Open and beat Golubic convincingly on the way. That made Sunday’s wobble against the same opponent stand out more.
- Result: Boulter beat Golubic 6-2 7-6 (7-2)
- Key moment: broken while serving for the match at 5-2 after a disputed noise call
- Next opponent: Claire Liu (United States)
- Best Hong Kong result: runner-up in 2024
What comes next
Boulter faces American Claire Liu next, with a quarter-final place at stake. Hong Kong is one of the last WTA 250 events before the WTA Finals, so this is one of the final chances this year to earn ranking points that will decide her seeding for the 2027 Australian Open.
Boulter’s own explanation is the main concern. She blamed tiredness for her reaction to the umpire’s call, and tiredness gets worse late in the season. Against Golubic she had a set’s cushion to absorb the lapse. A stronger opponent could take advantage of the same drop in focus.
Her response in the tie-break is the positive. Lower-ranked players often lose a set like this once they have dropped a 5-2 lead. Boulter reset and won it 7-2, which showed she could put the disputed point behind her once the score forced her to.
It has also been a good week for British women’s tennis. Harriet Dart won her first WTA title at the Guangzhou Open, 11 years into her career, after coming from a set down to beat Lilli Tagger in the final. Boulter will hope to go deep in Hong Kong as well, and she said herself that dropping service games while serving for the match is something to fix before then.
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**Left out:** Some reports give Golubic’s ranking as 89 and “49” for the winner. I haven’t stated Boulter’s current ranking because the source doesn’t say clearly that 49 is hers. I also left out SSBCrack’s claim that this was her “third straight” win over Golubic, because I couldn’t confirm it.
I saved these verified facts to memory for follow-up Boulter stories.
Sources:
– [BBC report via Yahoo Sports – Boulter wins despite incident getting under her skin](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/boulter-wins-despite-incident-getting-085811502.html)
– [Tenniscourtsmap summary](https://www.tenniscourtsmap.com/boulter-wins-despite-incident-getting-under-her-skin/)
– [SSBCrack – Boulter holds off Golubic](https://news.ssbcrack.com/boulter-holds-off-golubic-in-hong-kong-for-third-straight-head-to-head-win/)
– [LTA – Boulter runner-up to Shnaider (2024)](https://www.lta.org.uk/news/2024/november/katie-boulter-finishes-runner-up-to-top-seed-diana-schnaider-in-hong-kong/)
– [Sky Sports – Boulter retires in tears (2025)](https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/12040/13459346/katie-boulter-british-no-4-in-tears-after-injury-forces-retirement-at-hong-kong-open)
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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