Boulter suffers first-round exit to Ruse in Austria

British tennis player Katie Boulter, ranked 62nd globally, was defeated in the first round by Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open. The 29-year-old fell 7-6, 7-6 on clay against the world No. 87, who will next face either Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska or American Ann Li in the last 16.

Boulter struggled to hold her serve early in the first set, managing two breaks before the tiebreak decided the match. In the second set, she broke Ruse’s service for the third time, gaining a temporary lead, but the Romanian player swiftly retaliated. Despite holding her nerve to avoid a match point at 6-5, Ruse quickly seized control, building a 5-2 advantage before clinching the final set with a strong serve.

Earlier this year, Boulter secured her fourth WTA Tour title at the Ostrava Open and advanced to the quarterfinals in the Merida Open, Mexico. However, she failed to progress further in those events before her latest setback. Despite reaching the second round at Indian Wells and the third round in Miami, her form dipped in recent tournaments.

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