Boulter beats Baptiste in Beijing, ousted by Anisimova at China Open

Katie Boulter opened her China Open campaign with a hard-fought victory over American Hailey Baptiste on September 26 in Beijing but was eliminated in the next round by Wimbledon and US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova. Boulter edged Baptiste 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in a gripping first-round match at the National Tennis Center before succumbing 6-1, 6-3 to Anisimova in their first meeting.

Boulter described the win over Baptiste as a battle, telling Sky Sports she found it "really difficult to get over the line" against an opponent playing "disruptive tennis." She credited her mindset for getting through the match, saying she had "a tough couple of months" and was pleased with how she had fought for every point. Boulter also thanked the Beijing crowd for their support, offering a brief greeting in Mandarin as she left the court.

Statistics underlined aspects of her performance against Baptiste. Sofascore recorded that the British number two landed 72 percent of her first serves and won 60 percent of points on her second serve. Boulter twice surrendered a double-break lead in the final set before regrouping to serve out for the victory, according to match summaries.