Katie Boulter clinched her inaugural WTA 500 title by staging a remarkable comeback after losing the first set to Marta Kostyuk in the San Diego Open final.
The 27-year-old British player triumphed with a scoreline of 5-7 6-2 6-2, marking the most significant achievement of her professional career thus far.
Following a tightly contested opening set, Boulter showcased her prowess, overpowering her Ukrainian opponent Kostyuk to claim victory and propel herself to a career-best ranking of 27th in the world.
“I don’t know what just happened,” Boulter said after the match.
“This week has been very, very special for so many different reasons. This one is pretty amazing, I’ve worked very hard for it, and I played some incredible tennis all week.
“Today was a complete battle, with myself as well, because I was a little bit nervous. But I managed to get over the line, and that I’m very proud of.”
Boulter showcased her resilience, converting seven out of 11 break points while also saving seven of the 11 faced.
Despite trailing 5-2 in the first set, she clawed back to 5-5, fending off five set points, only to concede the opener with a double fault.
However, Boulter found her rhythm thereafter, dominating proceedings by breaking Kostyuk thrice in the second set, setting the stage for a thrilling decider.
In the final set, she secured two more crucial breaks and sealed the match with her first two aces of the encounter, culminating in a forehand winner on championship point.
Celebrating her victory, Boulter was warmly greeted by her boyfriend, Australian player Alex de Minaur, who made a swift journey from Acapulco after clinching his title at the Mexican Open on Saturday.
“I want to say a small special thank you to my boyfriend,” Boulter added.
“He finished last night at midnight and I want to embarrass him. He got on a 4.15 taxi this morning and a six o’clock flight to be here today, so I do appreciate it.”
The WTA Tour encompasses events categorized into 250, 500, and 1,000 levels, indicating the number of ranking points bestowed upon the champion.
Since claiming her sole tour title at last year’s Nottingham Open, a WTA 250 event, Boulter has ascended an impressive 99 places in the rankings.
