British hopes in the women's singles at the Australian Open were dealt a significant blow on Tuesday as both Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal suffered first-round defeats in Melbourne. The results leave Emma Raducanu as the only remaining British woman in the tournament.
Boulter Outclassed by In-Form Bencic
Katie Boulter, ranked 113th in the world, faced a formidable challenge in the shape of tenth seed Belinda Bencic. The Swiss player, who recently returned to the sport's top 10 after the birth of her daughter, proved too strong, securing a 6-0, 7-5 victory on Margaret Court Arena.
The first set was a one-sided affair, lasting just 26 minutes, with Boulter managing to win only 10 points. Her fiancé, Alex De Minaur, watched on from the player's box as Boulter struggled to find any rhythm against an opponent in arguably the best form of her career.
Boulter, who has recently switched coaches to American Michael Joyce, showed admirable resilience in the second set. She began to trouble Bencic with her powerful forehand and broke back immediately after going 4-3 down. However, Bencic raised her level once more to close out the match and advance to the second round.
Kartal's Disappointing Defeat to Kalinskaya
Earlier in the day, British number two Sonay Kartal also saw her campaign end at the first hurdle. The world number 66 fell to a 7-6 (3), 6-1 defeat against the 31st seed, Anna Kalinskaya of Russia.
Kartal was highly critical of her own performance, labelling it the worst she had played in years. Despite initially having the upper hand, she relied too heavily on her opponent's errors. A poor tie-break was followed by a second-set collapse where Kalinskaya raced into a 5-0 lead.
"Obviously very disappointed," said Kartal, who is still searching for her first main-draw win at the tournament. "For me, it was not my finest at all... My level dipped to a level that hasn't been that low for years, probably." The defeat was a particular setback after a strong end to the 2025 season and a narrow loss to Elina Svitolina in Auckland just prior to the Open.
Raducanu Left Flying Solo
The early exits mean that Emma Raducanu now carries British hopes alone in the women's draw. The former US Open champion is scheduled to face Russia's Anastasia Potapova in her second-round match on Wednesday.
For Boulter and Kartal, attention now turns to rebuilding their form and ranking points. Boulter will look to channel the excitement of her upcoming wedding, while Kartal aims to put this performance behind her quickly, acknowledging that "it's a long old season ahead." The focus for British tennis fans, however, shifts squarely to Raducanu's progress in Melbourne.
