Katie Boulter reclaims British No 1 after Japan Open quarter-final comeback
Katie Boulter reclaimed the British number one ranking after coming from a set down to beat Antonia Ruzic 3-6 6-3 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Japan Open in Osaka on 23 October 2026. The 30-year-old's victory moved her into her third WTA semi-final of the 2026 season.
Boulter had been briefly displaced on Monday when Sonay Kartal reached the final in Wuhan, but the eighth seed knew she could overturn a 55-point deficit by reaching the last four in Osaka. She fell behind against world number 91 Ruzic by a set and a break before mounting her recovery, and the match lasted two hours to send Boulter into her first semi-final since Queen's in June.
The Briton struggled early on serve, winning just 60% of points behind her first delivery, committing four double faults and facing seven break points across the opening two sets. She adapted by stepping inside the baseline to apply pressure on the 23-year-old Croat and began to shift momentum.
Boulter was broken in her opening service game and then offered Ruzic a route back into the first set at 4-2 when her opponent double-faulted on break point, but Ruzic immediately responded by winning the next four games to take the opening set 6-3.
In the second set Boulter saved two break points in the third game to avoid falling a double-break down and produced a crucial hold in the seventh after the pair had exchanged three successive breaks. That hold became the second of an eight-game streak for Boulter, who took control and raced to a 4-0 lead in the decider.
Although Boulter failed to serve out the match at 5-2, she broke Ruzic to love to close out the win. She will face Czech Katerina Siniakova in the last four and, regardless of that result, will move above Kartal and back into the world's top 50 when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday.
Commenting after the match Boulter said: "[Ruzic] is a really good player, full credit to her," and added: "I tried to hang tough and find a way. I was a bit lucky in the middle of the second [set] but I feel I did really well to stay there." On facing Siniakova she said: "She's one hell of a player, extremely dangerous. It's going to be who gets the first strike in. "I've got nothing to lose. She's been building extremely well this week, so I'm going to have to come prepared."
The brief change at the top of British rankings exposed a tight domestic contest: Kartal's run in Wuhan temporarily saw her become British number one, a status she described as being "up there" in her career achievements and which she will initially hold for only a week. Boulter has the opportunity to add further ranking points in upcoming weeks in Tokyo and Hong Kong, Kartal's plans for the remainder of the season remain uncertain as she manages her workload, and Emma Raducanu remains sidelined by the shin injury that ruled her out of Wimbledon and looks unlikely to play again this season.
Boulter now prepares to meet Katerina Siniakova in the Japan Open semi-final, with the winner progressing to the final and Boulter assured of regaining the British number one spot and re-entering the world top 50 when the rankings are published on Monday.
