Katie Boulter dumped out of Wimbledon as Harriet Dart sends British No.1 packing | Tennis | Sport

Katie Boulter lost the Battle of Britain and was dumped out of Wimbledon by Billy Jean Cup team-mate Harriet Dart. The home favourites clashed in the second round on Court 1 and it took three sets to separate them.

British No.1 Boulter put in an error-sewn performance with 75 unforced errors. Both players struggled to get a grip of the tie with an average 55 per cent first serve.

But it was too many mistakes from Boulter that ultimately cost her a place in the third round.

Boulter started well and showed why she is top of the British rankings by dominating the opening set 6-4.

But the house began to fall down when she was broken three times in the second set, winning just one game.

Boulter’s boyfriend Alex De Minaur, the seventh seed in the men’s draw, raced to Court 1 just 45 minutes after wrapping up a straight-sets victory in his second-round tie.

And he was quick to shout words of encouragement to his partner as she started to fight an uphill battle.

Boutler regained her composure in the third, finally holding serve and making a fight of it.

But Dart turned the screw in the fifth game and finally edged ahead, converting her sixth break point on deuce when Boulter fired long.

Dart had more breakpoints in the seventh game to go a double break up but Boulter dug in to remain within touching distance.

Boulter broke back in the eighth game after initially missing two glorious chances with forehand returns.

The pair headed for a deciding 10-point tiebreak – which Boulter squandered a 6-2 lead to lose 10-8.

Dart will face China’s Xinyu Wang in the third round after she beat fifth seed Jessica Pegula earlier in the day.

Speaking after securing the win, Dart said: “I knew it was always going to be a really tough battle, we played a few weeks ago and it didn’t go my way.

“I wear my emotions on my sleeve so you see everything how I’m thinking, unfortunately, but I’m so happy to be able to get through. Thank you so much for the support, it was so fab.”