World No. 141 Katie Boulter was all happy after beating Caroline Garcia as now she is excited about clashing two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep in the Birmingham quarterfinal. In the Birmingham last-16, Boulter defeated Garcia 7-6 (5) 6-1 to reach her first WTA quarterfinal of the year.
“I'm absolutely ecstatic right now!” Boulter said after the match. “I've worked so hard the past few weeks with my injury, it kind of makes it feel worthwhile – and all the tough moments that I went through, and pushing through, really got me through today.
I'm really happy to be in the quarter-finals and am looking forward to another good match.”
Boulter beats Garcia, sets up a Halep meeting
The first break point of the match was seen in the fourth game, when Boulter saved one break point to level the first set to two games apiece.
Seven games later, Boulter claimed the first break of the match in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead, but failed to serve out for the first set in the following game as Garcia forced a tie-break. Failing to serve out for the first set didn't impact Boulter, who started the tie-break with a 4-0 lead.
However, Garcia refused to quit as she won five of the next six points and tied the tie-break to five points apiece. Just when it seemed the momentum was on Garcia's side, Boulter won the next two points and won a tight opener.
After winning a tight first set, Boulter started the second set with a break and an early 3-0 lead. Garcia had a break point in the fifth game, but Boulter saved and took a 4-1 lead. In the sixth game, Boulter claimed her second break of the set and opened a 5-1 lead.
From that moment, there was no coming back for Garcia as Boulter served out for the match in the seventh game. Boulter and Halep will be going head-to-head for the first time when they meet in the Birmingham quarterfinal.
