Defending champ Boulter tops Raducanu to reach Nottingham final

Katie Boulter is one step from a successful title defence at Nottingham.

The No 3 seed edged out wildcard Emma Raducanu in a lengthy 6-7 (13), 6-3, 6-4 battle that took two days to complete, moving into Sunday’s final at the Nottingham Open, where former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova waits.

In a match that was suspended by darkness after an epic first set tiebreak on Saturday, 30th-ranked Boulter claimed the final two sets to stretch her winning streak at Nottingham to nine victories.

“My heart rate is too high right now,” Boulter said after finishing off her win. “What a match, what an incredible player. She’s only going to get better and better and she makes it so tough to close it out. I’m just really happy I got through today.

“It’s been a really tough week for me. It’s not been easy for me to get myself over the line. It’s always tough coming back as a defending champion, I’ve actually never done it before so this is the first time for me.”

Pliskova defeated Diane Parry earlier on Sunday to reach her first final on grass since 2021.

The pair have split their four previous meetings, with Boulter taking both of their clashes on grass, at Eastbourne and Wimbledon in 2022.

Ahead of her victory, Katie Boulter won against Harriet Dart (6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5), Canadian qualifier Rebecca Marino (6-4, 6-3) and Pole Magdalena Frech, the No 5 seed (6-2, 6-4).

Raducanu, ranked No 209, defeated Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara (6-1, 6-4), Ukrainian Daria Snigur (6-2, 6-2) and wildcard Francesca Jones (W/O) earlier in the tournament.

Nottingham WTA 250, other semi-final result (Nottingham Tennis Centre, grass, USD 267.082):

• Karolina Pliskova beat Diane Parry: 6-7 (9), 6-1, 6-4

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