Heavy rainfall wreaked havoc on the third day of the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka, forcing British tennis star Katie Boulter off the court and bringing her opening match to an abrupt halt. The WTA 250 tournament got underway over the weekend, but Boulter had to wait until Monday to begin her campaign in the main draw.
Paired against Japanese wildcard entrant Himeno Sakatsume in the first round, Boulter had barely started her match before the weather intervened. Because the Osaka venue lacks a retractable roof, the court was left entirely exposed to the elements when the downpour began. Tournament officials announced that play would be suspended for at least an hour, and spectators were instructed to leave the stands as the stadium emptied out.
At the time of the suspension, only three games had been completed in the opening set, with Sakatsume holding a 2-1 lead over the eighth-seeded Briton. Should Boulter manage to reverse the deficit when play resumes, she faces a second-round matchup against Viktorija Golubic, after the Swiss player advanced with a straight-sets victory over Mai Hontama.
The weather delay extends a stop-start period for Boulter, who has seen limited competitive action in recent weeks. Following early exits at both the China Open, where she fell in the second round, and the Wuhan Open, where she was eliminated in the first round, Boulter has managed just three matches since September 30. Entering the tournament as the eighth seed, she had been hoping for a deep run in Osaka to build momentum.
While Boulter dealt with rain delays in Japan, fellow British tennis player Sonay Kartal celebrated a significant milestone elsewhere on the tour following a successful return from injury. The 24-year-old Londoner reached the final of the Wuhan Open despite having spent six months sidelined from competitive play due to injury.
Kartal captured the opening set of the Wuhan final but ultimately fell to Maja Chwalinska, narrowly missing out on what would have been her first-ever WTA 1000 title. Despite the championship match defeat, Kartal’s impressive run propelled her to the top of the British rankings, making her the new British No. 1.
Reflecting on her journey back to the tour after the final, Kartal acknowledged the physical and emotional toll of her recovery. That was one heck of a battle, she noted, expressing hope for future finals appearances. She credited her coaching and support team for guiding her recovery, noting that the people in her box were the reason she was healthy and able to return to peak fitness. Describing the tournament as an unbelievable week, Kartal added that very few people expected her to reach that level of competition immediately upon her return.
