Nottingham Open: Katie Boulter beats Emma Raducanu to win battle of the Brits and reach final

Katie Boulter is through to the final of the Nottingham Open after defeating fellow Brit Emma Raducanu.

Boulter won the all British contest in three sets, 6-7 6-3 6-4, having been a set down when play was suspended on Saturday evening.

She will now face Karolina Pliskova in the final later on Sunday.

Raducanu won the first set when she prevailed in a thrilling tie-break. The former US Open champion came through 15-13 at the end of a water-tight first set in which neither player wanted to give any ground.

Bad light stopped play then on Saturday, but it meant when they resumed on Sunday Boulter, the defending champion at her home tournament in Nottingham, was up against it.

But she reminded everyone why she is the British No 1 when coming back into the match. Boulter won second set 6-3, outhitting her opponent.

Raducanu was competitive in the final set, breaking back just when Boulter was serving for the match, but then Boulter broke Raducanu herself to seal the third set 6-4 and progress in the tournament.

Boulter – ranked 30 in the world – will defend her Nottingham crown and claim a third WTA Tour title if she can beat Karolina Pliskova in the final later in the day.

“I am going to need a defib because my heart rate is too high now,” she joked.

“What a match, what an incredible player. She is only going to get better and better, she makes it so tough to close it out.

“I am so happy to get through, I’m really proud of myself.

“It has been a really tough week for me. It has not been easy for me to get over the line. It is tough to come back as a defending champion, this is the first time I have done it but it is going OK so far.”

Pliskova, the 2016 champion, is undefeated at Nottingham and booked her spot in the final with a 6-7 (9) 6-1 6-4 win over Diane Parry.

Despite the semi-final defeat, it has been a positive week for Raducanu in her first tournament in seven weeks as she carefully manages her return following double wrist and ankle surgery last year.

She competed well throughout the week and looked strong physically, but came up against an opponent too good in Boulter.

What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?

In the run-up to the third Grand Slam of 2024 – Wimbledon – you can watch the biggest tennis stars live on Sky Sports:

• Stuttgart Open (ATP 250) – June 10-16
• Rosmalen Open (ATP/WTA 250) – June 10-16
• Berlin Open (WTA 500) – June 17-23
• Halle (ATP 500) – June 17-23
• Mallorca Championships (ATP 250) – June 23-29
• Bad Homburg (WTA 500) – June 23-29