After the end of the Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu Queen’s Club partnership, on Thursday comes a task of greater importance for both in their bids for a Wimbledon seeding.
Boulter and Raducanu bowed out in the second round of the HSBC Championships doubles draw with a 6-2, 7-5 defeat by Lyudmyla Kichenok and Erin Routliffe, which is a respectable scoreline considering they were facing the No1 seeds. Quite honestly it is also probably better that they can now focus on their respective singles campaigns without having to factor in doubles matches in between.
While Boulter and Raducanu are relatively inexperienced in tennis’s pairs format, there were enough encouraging signs in their two matches this week that this is a potential partnership of use for Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup captain, Anne Keothavong, at the finals in September. If a deciding doubles match is required against Japan in the quarter-finals, Boulter and Raducanu would clearly be a handy option if they can play more matches together on the tour.
“Katie made me feel really comfortable out there over the two matches and I hope we can team up again soon,” Raducanu said. “Given the quick turnaround from clay to grass it’s great to get some extra match play on grass.”
Coincidentally, they teamed up for the first time in a week in which they are directly competing against each other for the British No1 singles ranking. After coming through the first round on Tuesday, Raducanu sits at No37 in the live world rankings, two spots ahead of the incumbent Boulter, who has been at the summit of British women’s tennis for two years.
This makes for an interesting subplot this week but of more significance is the chase for a Wimbledon seeding. Both players are within touching distance of the world’s top 32, which would guarantee matches against lower-ranked opposition in the first two rounds at the All England Club next month.
A Wimbledon seeding is arguably even more important for Raducanu
SHAUN BROOKS/CAMERASPORT VIA GETTY IMAGES
It is particularly crucial for Raducanu that she secures this. The 22-year-old may have a grand-slam title to her name as the 2021 US Open champion, but she has a notoriously poor record against the world’s very best players. Over the course of three years she has won only one match of 12 against top-eight opponents. Ten of these defeats were in straight sets.
On Thursday she has a very winnable second-round match against Rebecca Sramkova. While the 28-year-old Slovak is ranked only a few spots below Raducanu at No41, she has seldom played on grass at tour level, with only one main-draw appearance at Wimbledon last year (a first-round defeat).
A runner-up finish at Queen’s would almost certainly be enough to secure Raducanu a seeding at Wimbledon by the deadline of June 23, a week before the championships. If she falls short here, there is another chance next week at the German Open. Although there is a concurrent event on home soil at the Nottingham Open, Raducanu has decided to travel to Berlin because more ranking points are on offer at a WTA 500 event, compared with a WTA 250 in the East Midlands.
The umpire removes a bee from the court during the British pair’s straight-sets defeat
ANDREW COULDRIDGE/ACTION IMAGES VIA REUTERS
Boulter has decided to remain in Britain next week as she has a chance to claim three consecutive titles in Nottingham, which is only a 30-minute drive from her home village of Woodhouse Eaves. A runner-up finish at Queen’s would also probably be enough to claim a Wimbledon seeding. Anything less would likely require a semi-final run in Nottingham, although this depends on the results of other players.
Boulter, 28, has a tougher test than Raducanu on Thursday against Diana Shnaider, the world No12. The 21-year-old Russian has quickly adapted to grass in the early stages of her career, winning the Bad Homburg Open last year before reaching the third round at Wimbledon. She also beat Boulter on hard courts in the final of the Hong Kong Open in November.
Thursday’s order of play on Andy Murray ArenaDiana Shnaider [5] v Katie Boulter starts at 12pm
Heather Watson [Q] v Elena Rybakina [4]
Emma Raducanu [WC] v Rebecca Sramkova
Zheng Qinwen [1] v McCartney Kessler
Boulter and Raducanu will return to the Andy Murray Arena on Thursday after their doubles match was again forced on to the smaller Court 1 on Wednesday. WTA international broadcasting obligations agreed months in advance made singles a contractual requirement in the first three slots on the main court, meaning that the BBC was unable to televise their doubles matches. There was an option to schedule it in the fourth slot on Monday and Wednesday, but this was against the earlier scheduling preferences of both players, with the recovery before their singles the next day in mind.
The outside chance of Sonay Kartal, who sits at a career-high ranking of No 50 this week, getting a Wimbledon seeding came to a tame end on Wednesday with a 6-1, 6-3 defeat by Amanda Anisimova, the world No15 from the United States.