Boulter Defeats Dart in Marathon Match at Nottingham Open
Defending champion Katie Boulter advanced to the second round of the Nottingham Open after a marathon all-British match, edging out Harriet Dart. Third-seeded Boulter, opening her grass-court season, won the grueling three-hour and 13-minute contest with scores of 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-5.
However, the match was marred by Dart’s repeated arguments with chair umpire Kelly Rask over what she believed were erroneous line calls. The disagreement peaked during a changeover in the second set when a call against a Boulter shot led Dart to offer a £50,000 bet that the ball was out.
Frustrated, the 27-year-old Dart told Rask, “The ball was way out, this is embarrassing. You’re embarrassing yourself. You should be ashamed.”
Dart, accusing Rask of “threatening” her with a code violation, insisted on speaking with the tournament referee. After the match, she expressed her displeasure with the line calling, labeling it “pretty horrific,” and called for the use of technology throughout the sport.
Reflecting on the confrontation with Rask, Dart said, “Give me a code violation or don’t. I think he felt a bit embarrassed about the situation. We’re all professionals here. I’ve played many tennis matches in my career, and in some ways, this one was a bit disappointing. I think he might reflect on this.”
World No. 30 Boulter will face either Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic or Canada’s Rebecca Marino in the second round. Boulter’s victory in Nottingham last year marked her first WTA title.
“This was a complete battle,” Boulter said of her match against Dart. “[Dart] is an incredible grass-court player. I just tried to do my best because she was playing some really good stuff. I would have preferred an easier win, that’s for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a three-hour and 13-minute grass-court match. I’m not sure it’s even possible.”
Elsewhere, British No. 5 Heather Watson progressed to the second round after defeating American Kayla Day 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 in a rain-interrupted match. Watson will next face sixth-seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova.
British duo Lily Miyazaki and Emily Appleton were defeated in the first round. Fellow Brit Emma Raducanu will begin her Nottingham campaign against Japan’s Ena Shibahara on Tuesday, while top-seeded and world No. 10 Ons Jabeur will open against Colombia’s Camila Osorio.
In the men’s Challenger event in Nottingham, second-seeded Dan Evans’ match against Switzerland’s Dominic Stricker was suspended at 6-3, 4-6 due to poor light and will resume on Tuesday. Brit Paul Jubb defeated seventh-seeded Duje Ajdukovic 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, while Cameron Norrie, the top seed, will face Sho Shimabukuro in his opening match on Tuesday.
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