Katie Boulter booked her place in the second round of the Japan Open on Tuesday, returning a day after heavy rain suspended play to beat home wildcard Himeno Sakatsume 6-3 6-1.
The world No 58 completed the dominant victory in one hour and 32 minutes in Osaka. She will next face Swiss player Viktorija Golubic for a place in the quarter-finals.
The win gives Boulter a 20-20 record across her last 40 matches. It also gives her a confidence boost after a period in which she has played only three matches since September 30, owing to early exits at the China Open (second round) and Wuhan Open (first round).
Rain disrupts Boulter’s match in Osaka
On Monday, the match had barely started when torrential rain arrived in Osaka and forced the players off court. The venue has no roof, so the court was open to all of the elements.
Only three games had been played in the first set, with Sakatsume leading 2-1 at the time of the suspension.
Play resumed, but another rain delay followed with Boulter leading 6-3 3-1 (40-30). Both players had to leave court again and return on Tuesday to finish the contest.
When play restarted, the 30-year-old Boulter continued to dominate. She won seven of her eight service games overall and claimed five of nine break point chances.
Swiatek withdraws from Ningbo Open with left thigh injury
Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the Ningbo Open in China because of an injured left thigh. The move diminishes her chances of contesting the season-ending WTA Finals at Indian Wells next month.
The six-time major winner lost to eventual champion Maja Chwalinska in the semi-finals at the Wuhan Open last week and struggled at times in that match.
“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to withdraw from the tournament,” Swiatek said in a statement posted on social media Tuesday by the Ningbo tournament. “I’ve been experiencing an ongoing problem with my left thigh over the past weeks and I feel that giving myself the time to rest and recover is the right decision.”
Swiatek was one of three players in contention for the last spot in the eight-player field for the WTA Finals, along with Karolina Muchova and Marta Kostyuk, ahead of tournaments this week.
The WTA, in a preview of the Ningbo tournament, said that if Swiatek didn’t reach the quarter-finals and Kostyuk doesn’t reach the final, Muchova will secure the remaining spot for the season-ending tournament at Indian Wells, which starts November 8.