British interest in singles at the French Open has concluded following Katie Boulter's three-set defeat to Anastasia Potapova in the second round.
Match Moved to Court 13
Boulter may have harboured concerns when her contest was relocated from its originally scheduled court six to court 13, a venue where Emma Raducanu, Cameron Norrie, and Fran Jones had previously suffered losses.
The British number three mounted a commendable challenge against the 28th seed Potapova, who is among the most in-form competitors on the WTA Tour, and successfully claimed the opening set.
However, the player who has switched nationality from Russian to Austrian mounted a strong comeback, securing a 5-7 6-4 6-2 triumph and arranging a third-round meeting with defending champion Coco Gauff.
First Set Battle
Boulter found herself in accustomed territory as she faced Potapova's powerful, flat groundstrokes, with both athletes exchanging heavy baseline shots from the outset.
Both players encountered difficulties in holding serve during an initial set that witnessed six consecutive breaks. Nevertheless, Boulter managed to edge ahead, only to fall 5-1 behind in the second set.
She rescued three set points before winning three games in succession, but Potapova, who has surged from world number 97 to 30 over the past two months, eventually held serve to force a deciding set, where she demonstrated greater consistency.
Boulter's Reflection
Boulter has never advanced beyond the second round in Paris, yet she drew confidence from her performance despite the outcome, stating: "Today the match was exactly what I wanted it to be.
"The result did not go my way, but I felt that the type of tennis I was attempting to play was significantly better than in the first round.
"I believe the way I was aggressive, the way I struck the ball today, was some of the best I have produced on a clay court."
