Boulter beats world No. 2 Rybakina 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 at Queen’s Club

Katie Boulter defeated Elena Rybakina 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 at the Queen's Club on Friday in the longest match of Boulter's career. The British No. 3 overcame the world No. 41pm.

Boulter had already won earlier in the day, defeating Jaqueline Cristian 6-1, 6-3. Her previous best victory by ranking came against WTA No. 5 Jessica Pegula. The win over Rybakina marks the highest-ranked victory by any British player since Johanna Konta defeated Simona Halep in 2017.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure what to say, but I really feel like this win definitely goes towards the crowd that got me through it tonight and stayed out here," Boulter said. "The atmosphere was absolutely incredible. I just tried to tell myself to keep backing myself and go for it.

" "I'm standing here a winner, and it's because I trusted my game, I trusted my coaching team, who were always with me and pushing me," she added. " Rybakina had conceded just four points on serve in her first five games and faced no break points through the opening 10 games. She generated nine break points against Boulter but converted none.

At 5-5 in the first set, Rybakina double-faulted on break point, handing Boulter the advantage. Boulter held to close the set, then regrouped after dropping the second to serve out the match in the third. Emma Raducanu defeated seventh seed Sorana Cirstea, the world No.

18, 6-4, 6-2. It is the first time in more than a year that Raducanu has beaten a top-20 opponent. Her quarter-final against Kamilla Rakhimova was postponed and will be played on Saturday, requiring the winner to contest two matches that day.

Rakhimova reached the quarter-finals by defeating Harriet Dart 5-7, 6-1, 7-5. The winner of the Raducanu-Rakhimova match will face 18-year-old sixth seed Iva Jovic, who recorded her first top-five victory by beating second seed Amanda Anisimova, the world No. 5.