Kostyuk defeats Boulter in US Open opener as form struggles continue

Katie Boulter’s bid at the US Open hit a setback on Tuesday as she was eliminated in the opening round by Marta Kostyuk, 6-4, 6-4. The result, coming on the heels of a difficult season that has included a string of early exits and a drop outside the world’s top 50, underscored how hard Boulter has had to work to regain her form after a summer that left her feeling overextended and burnt out. The Briton had shown glimpses of improvement in Cleveland, where she halted a four-match losing run, but was unable to carry that momentum into New York.

Boulter’s struggles over the past year have been well documented. After delivering one of her finest results by defeating Paula Badosa at Wimbledon, she then endured a sequence of early losses at Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati. She has publicly attributed much of the downturn to a hectic schedule that included representing Britain at the Olympics and Billie Jean King Cup, noting that periods of rest often did not come when they should have. “The times that I should have had periods of break, I don’t really feel like I chose myself,” she said, describing a shift in priorities that left her feeling stretched thin. She added that she...