Katie Boulter has bounced back from a string of average performances on the WTA Tour in Asia to reach the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open, winning 6-2, 6-1 against Bianca Andreescu on Friday.
The 28-year-old British player had recently lost in the first round at Wuhan and in the second round to Coco Gauff at the China Open. However, she played strongly against Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion who previously defeated Serena Williams in the final.
Boulter’s next match will be against another Grand Slam champion, 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin, who defeated fifth-seeded Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-4.
Later, the top seed and Paris Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen won against eighth-seeded Leylah Fernandez 6-0, 1-6, 6-3. In the semifinals, Zheng will face Diana Shnaider, who advanced after Sayaka Ishii could not compete due to an undisclosed illness or injury.
In 2022, 19-year-old Zheng reached her first WTA final in Tokyo but lost to Liudmila Samsonova. Now, she is the Olympic champion and recently made it to the final in Wuhan, securing her spot for the WTA Finals in Riyadh next month.
