British number one Katie Boulter advanced to the last-16 of the Hong Kong Open with a 6-2 7-6 (7-2) victory over Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic, overcoming a mid-match disagreement with the chair umpire that briefly threw her off rhythm.
Umpire dispute interrupts second set
Boulter, currently ranked world number 49, appeared in firm control of the contest when serving for the match at 5-2 in the second set. However, an audible disturbance from outside the court interrupted play during a crucial point. After the umpire declined to order a replay, Boulter voiced her frustration and subsequently lost her service game. An unsettled Boulter went on to drop her next service game as well before regaining her composure to dominate the tie-break.
Reflecting on the incident, Boulter described the match as interesting and acknowledged that the situation tested her patience late in the year. “I was playing some really good tennis. I feel like I should have closed it out but a couple of things happened,” she stated after the match.
Boulter added that fatigue played a role in her reaction during the closing stages of the second set. “There was a little bit of interesting judgement which got under my skin a little bit and, usually, I’m pretty good at batting it off but I was a little tired,” she explained. “It’s end of season and it seemed to get to me but lesson learned, I managed to get over the line.”
The win marks another positive result for Boulter against the 89th-ranked Golubic, whom she defeated convincingly en route to the semi-finals at the Japan Open last month. Boulter, who finished as the runner-up at the Hong Kong Open in 2024, will face American Claire Liu in the next round.
