US Open 2023: Katie Boulter clinches first career win in New York
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Katie Boulter is through to the second round of the US Open for the first time in her career after a dominant win over France’s Diane Parry, 6-4, 6-0 in an hour and 23 minutes.
Boulter is the second Brit to claim her maiden US Open win after 28-year-old Lily Miyazaki claimed a debut victory last night against Maragrita Betova.
This is the first time that two Brits have made the second round of the women’s singles since Johanna Konta and Naomi Broady in 2016.
Boulter now moves on to face qualifier Yafan Wang in round two who defeated seventh seed Caroline Garcia in one of the upsets of the first round.
Following her win, Boulter expressed her happiness with her performance and her determination to keep competing at this level.
“It was a bit tight in the first set but I just tried to stay with her as much as possible and feel the court a little bit,” Boulter said in her on-court post match interview. “At the end I played some really good tennis which is great for me going into the second round.
“It’s so good for me, I need to be playing these tournaments week in and week out and getting wins so I’m just really happy to get through today and keep pushing.
“Lily did incredibly well yesterday – it’s so nice to see her get out there and do well, she’s a really great girl as well so it’s nice to see and hopefully I’ve started everyone off well today.
In the opening set, it was a crucial mistake from Parry at 3-3 – sending an easy short forehand long – that gave Boulter the first break point opportunity, which the British No.1 seized with both hands thanks to her third winner of the game.
The world No.61 stayed strong to fight off three break points in the following game but once she held for a 5-3 lead, was able to see out the set in 46 minutes.
Traditionally stronger on the clay, Parry’s struggles continued into the second set as Boulter broke to love in the opening game with a delicate drop shot – and from there she only continued to drive forward.
Boulter couldn’t have asked for more from her first main draw win in New York. The 27-year-old clearly had her eye in and remained focused for the duration of the match, striking with real power and precision as she racked up a total of 31 winners.
The world No.60 broke Parry four times and held throughout the remainder of the match, closing out an impressive win with her third ace of the match to progress into the second round.
