Katie Boulter’s French Open ended in the second round on Monday, defeated by 28th seed Anastasia Potapova and leaving no British players in the singles third round.
Boulter had reached the second round in uncertain fashion, being taken to three sets by teenage American wildcard Akasha Urhobo. Her performance against Potapova was characterised by poor serving and groundstroke errors, with the 29-year-old producing 51 unforced errors, including 10 double faults, and having her serve broken five times.
Boulter held serve in the first game of the opening set before a run of six consecutive breaks of serve. She eventually closed out the set with her fourth break. However, a resurgent Potapova broke twice in the opening five games of the second set, and although Boulter fought back from 5-1 to 5-4 and saved three set points, she could not avoid a decider. Potapova, broken only once across the final two sets, converted both break points in the third to complete the win.
Boulter’s serve proved the decisive weakness — she hit 10 double faults to just one ace, her first-serve percentage stood at 54%, and she won only 36% of points on second serve.
The British number three has struggled on clay throughout her career, only claiming her first WTA Tour-level win on the surface in 2025. Despite winning just four clay-court matches across five tournaments this season, Boulter said she is encouraged by her progress.
“I have to keep reminding myself that I got my first win on clay last year and I’m here now testing some of the better players on a clay court and that is important to me,” Boulter told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I’m taking the steps towards where I feel like I need to be on a clay court. It’s taking time but I do think that today was one of the better matches I’ve played.”
On her serving struggles, Boulter said: “I’m not necessarily holding back, and I’m not just trying to push the ball in the court and run. I’m pleased with the way it’s going towards my goals. It’s a work in progress.”
Boulter has been dealing with illness in recent days and said her “number one priority” is returning to full fitness ahead of the grass-court season.
Source: Boulter falls to Potapova in three sets, ending British interest at French Open