Katie Boulter storms to Pan Pacific Open victory as teenage sensation loses thriller

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter

Published: October 22 2024 | 16:41

Last updated: October 22 2024 | 20:15

Thunder-Boult: British number one storms to opening Japan victory

British number one Katie Boulter cruises into the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, while teenage sensation Mika Stojsavljevic loses a three-set thriller.

British number one Katie Boulter made light work of qualifier Priscilla Hon to advance to the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Japan.

Boulter - seeded ninth for the WTA 500 event - cruised to a 6-1 6-4 triumph over her Australian foe in just one hour and 16 minutes, thus ending a painful losing streak against the world 217.

Hon had won each of her previous three head-to-heads with the 28-year-old, although Tuesday's match was their first meeting since the Australian knocked Boulter out of the 2018 Surbiton Trophy in the quarter-finals.

The gulf in class between the two players was evident from the off, though, as Boulter immediately grabbed the double break against Hon - who had to come through qualifying to reach the main draw - and raced into a 4-0 lead.

The Australian did not lay a glove on Boulter in the opening set, although she held her own for the majority of the second and had a chance to break the Briton in the seventh game, but she failed to take it.

Boulter capitalised on that wasted chance with a break of her own for a 5-3 lead, and even though Hon quickly broke back as the 28-year-old served for the match - saving a match point in the process - Boulter quickly repeated her trick to ensure her place in round two.

British 15-year-old trumped in three-set spectacular

Mika Stojsavljevic pictured on October 18, 2024 © Imago

The British number one will take on Japanese lucky loser Kyoka Okamura for a place in the quarter-finals, but her compatriot Mika Stojsavljevic will not be joining her in the last 16.

Fifteen-year-old Stojsavljevic - who won this year's US Open Girls' Singles title - was bidding to earn her first-ever win in a main draw event of a WTA Tour competition, and world number 57 Moyuka Uchijima stood in her way.

Stojsavljevic - ranked 633rd in the world - took an engrossing contest all the way to a final-set tie-break, but she was ultimately edged out 4-6 7-6[7] 6-7[8] by her 23-year-old foe.

The 2008-born protege incredibly saved three match points in the second set to ensure that the battle would go the distance, and she broke first in the third set to inch towards a historic victory.

However, Stojsavljevic was fatally broken while trying to serve for a place in round two, and despite saving another two in the critical tie-breaker, Uchijima would not be denied at the fifth attempt.

The Japanese player - who only managed one ace compared to Stojsavljevic's seven - will now battle top seed and Olympic singles champion Qinwen Zheng for a spot in the last eight.