SM
Sheff Utd vs. Hull City: 7 hrs 22 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Katie Boulter plays winning hand for Great Britain against Mexico

:Headline: Katie Boulter plays winning hand for Great Britain against Mexico:
Katie Boulter claimed her second victory of the weekend after Heather Watson's defeat by Marcela Zacarias.
Sports Mole

Katie Boulter played the winning hand for Great Britain again in the Billie Jean King Cup to complete victory over Mexico and maintain Anne Keothavong's side's place at the elite level of the competition.

Boulter defeated Giuliana Olmos 6-4 6-1 for her second victory of the tie, wrapping up a 3-1 win overall in the behind-closed-doors affair at the National Tennis Centre in London.

The result means Britain go forward to a first-round tie next February, where victory would see them qualify for the finals week for the first time.

Britain went into the clash as heavy favourites but a 6-3 7-6 (1) defeat for Heather Watson against Marcela Zacarias earlier on Saturday added some tension to what had appeared a straightforward assignment.

Boulter was given the nod for the second singles spot despite a lowly ranking of 291 that is a legacy of the serious back injury she sustained while guiding Britain to victory over Kazakhstan in the same competition – then known as Fed Cup – in 2019.

This was her first appearance since and once again she has shown she is a player who relishes the pressure occasions, with the victory over Olmos her seventh from eight singles matches in the competition.

Olmos, who lost to Watson on Friday, is ranked outside the top 400 in singles but is a top-50 doubles player and initially competed well with Boulter after a long break in proceedings for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral.

A delighted Marcela Zacarias reacts after beating Heather Watson (Naomi Baker/PA)

But the big-hitting British player took her fifth set point to clinch the opener and, as in her first match, did not look back.

Earlier, Watson was unable to win the battle of the number ones against a player ranked more than 200 places lower.

Zacarias had only previously beaten a top-100 player once in her career, six years ago, but her consistency and willingness to chase down ball after ball saw her come out on top against an erratic Watson.

The 28-year-old, ranked 68, played a poor first set, struggling on serve and dumping far too many shots into the net.

The British number two said ahead of the tie that she thought she was still feeling the effects of two weeks of hard quarantine ahead of the Australian Open.

Watson reached the second round in Melbourne but has lost three of her four matches since, all to lower-ranked players.

She is looking forward to spending time with friends and family over the next week, and said: "I just think recharge, stay patient, stay at it, keep working hard on the court.

"I've played tennis long enough to know that there's always going to be ups and downs. You've just got to ride out the tough times."

body check tags ::

amp_article__443616 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-04-17 17:51:57:
html db last update - 2021-04-17 17:51:57 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Katie Boulter

Share this article now:
BD
Read Next:
Dan Evans bows out of Monte Carlo Masters to Stefanos Tsitsipas
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Katie Boulter Heather Watson Anne Keothavong Tennis
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Dan Evans bows out of Monte Carlo Masters to Stefanos Tsitsipas
'Palmer will have his Palmer moment': Is Chelsea star destined to haunt Man City?
"Hard to hide the frustration" - Man United head coach Amorim addresses shock claim

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool21155150203050
2Arsenal22128243212244
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest22135433221144
4Chelsea22117444271740
5Manchester CityMan City22115644291538
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle22115638261238
7Bournemouth22107536261037
8Aston Villa2210663334-136
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2281043530534
10Fulham228953430433
11Brentford2284104039128
12Crystal Palace226972528-327
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2275102732-526
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2275102743-1626
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs22731245351024
16Everton214891828-1020
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2244143251-1916
18Ipswich TownIpswich2237122043-2316
19Leicester CityLeicester2235142348-2514
20Southampton2213181550-356
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Preview: Man City vs. Chelsea - prediction, team news, lineups

1

PM

Preview: Bournemouth vs. Nott'm Forest - prediction, team news, lineups

2

PB

Son Heung-min's record vs. Leicester

NEW

3

SH

Spurs vs. Leicester: Head-to-head record and past meetings

NEW

4

SV

Preview: Groningen vs. Heerenveen - prediction, team news, lineups

5

PG

Oh no! Amorim confirms double Man United injury blow after Rangers contest

6

ON

Preview: West Brom vs. Portsmouth - prediction, team news, lineups

7

PW

Preview: Coventry vs. Watford - prediction, team news, lineups

8

PC

Preview: Wolves vs. Arsenal - prediction, team news, lineups

9

PW

Arsenal transfer exclusive: How close is Zubimendi to signing for the Gunners?

10

AT


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .