Katie Boulter crashes out of US Open after shock defeat by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro – as Tim Henman sends warning to British star after losing match ‘she should routinely win’
- Katie Boulter was knocked out in the second round of the US Open on Thursday
- The 31st seed was defeated in three sets by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Katie Boulter said: “Everything feels terrible today,” after the British world number one was beaten 7-5, 7-5 by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro at the US Open in a match that Tim Henman later insisted she should have won “pretty routinely”.
The 31st seed made the comment to her coaching team after her 4-2 first-set lead turned into a defeat by the world number 74. That straight-sets loss means no British woman has made it to the second round in New York this year.
Henman, speaking on Sky, did not mince his words when assessing Boulter’s performance.
Asked why she had lost the match, he replied: ‘It’s mistakes. It’s not a good performance in the second round of a Grand Slam. This is a match she should win pretty routinely. If she sits down and watches the match with her team, it wouldn’t be a good viewing experience, but she would learn a lot from it.’
Bouzas Maneiro has ‘sshh’ tattooed on her index finger to add some extra spice to the kind of ‘shut up’ celebrations that footballers love. But it was her tennis alone that silenced the small group of British fans in the crowd on Court 5.
British world number 1 Katie Boulter (above) has been knocked out of the US Open after admitting she felt “terrible” during her 7-5, 7-5 clash with Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
The 28-year-old athlete failed to maintain a consistent level and lost in straight sets
Tim Henman (above) insisted Boulter would learn a lot from watching the defeat
Movement is not the strongest aspect of Boulter’s game, but she looked positively slow here. This was not the scorching heat we endured on Wednesday, but it was 27oC and muggy.
Bouzas Maneiro was initially thrown back by Boulter’s power, but the Spaniard developed a rhythm, dragging her opponent from left to right.
Boulter had a good chance for a forehand on set point but hit the ball wide and Bouzas Maneiro took advantage.
In the second set, the Galician’s 5-2 lead was turned into 5-5 and there was hope for a moment that Boulter could emulate the remarkable comeback of her compatriot Dan Evans in his first round.
But in reality Boulter was never consistent enough to win this match.
She said after a difficult first-round win against Aliaksandra Sasnovich that it was not exactly ideal preparation for the American’s move from Wimbledon straight to the clay in Paris for the Olympic Games.
No British woman has advanced beyond the second round in New York, with former US Open champion Emma Raducanu also out early after her disappointing first-round defeat.
The 28-year-old has won just two completed matches in three tournaments since Wimbledon, dropping out of the top 32 who are guaranteed a place in the majors.
Like her compatriot Emma Raducanu, the rest of the year feels like an important period in Boulter’s career.