British wildcard Katie Boulter caused a major upset at the Queen’s Club Championships by defeating top seed Elena Rybakina in a thrilling match. Boulter secured her spot in the semi-finals after a hard-fought victory, marking her second semi-final appearance of the 2026 season.
Reflecting on her win, Boulter expressed her determination to perform better than in their previous encounters. She highlighted the significance of this win, especially after her earlier losses to Rybakina at Wimbledon and Indian Wells.
Boulter’s triumph over Rybakina came after a demanding day of back-to-back matches. Following a morning victory over Jaqueline Cristian, she went on to defeat the world No.2 in a three-set battle. Boulter will now face Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the upcoming semi-final match.
Croatia’s Donna Vekic, who also played two matches on the same day, secured her place in the semi-finals after defeating former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova. Vekic’s victory over Pliskova marked her third consecutive win against the Czech player.
In the other half of the draw, American teenager Iva Jovic advanced to the semi-finals with an impressive win over Amanda Anisimova. Jovic, who has had a successful year reaching multiple semi-finals, is set to face either Britain’s Emma Raducanu or Uzbek player Kamilla Rakhimova in the next round.
