Katie Boulter retires suddenly and bursts into tears at Hong Kong Open | Tennis | Sport

Katie Boulter was forced to retire from her first-round match in Hong Kong after losing the first set to Alexandra Eala. The British star called the physio while trailing 1-2 on serve in the second set and soon burst into tears, deciding that she could not continue.

Boulter finished runner-up in Hong Kong last year, losing to Diana Shnaider. After ending her campaign in round one, the Brit’s ranking is set to take a hit, as she was defending 163 points.

The current world No. 78 had a tough draw, facing Eala in her opening match. Eala has enjoyed a breakout season, storming into the Miami Open semi-finals as a teenage wildcard earlier this year. She stunned Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek en route.

Eala also won a WTA 125 title in Guadalajara last month, and she came into the Hong Kong Open at a career-high ranking of No. 51. Boulter, meanwhile, has been struggling for form of late.

The British No. 4 has won just three tour-level matches since Wimbledon. Boulter tried to stay with Eala early in the match and was broken in a marathon sixth game before breaking straight back to level the score.

But Boulter gave in when serving to stay in the first set at 4-5 down, and Eala took it on her second set point. They broke each other to start the second set, and the Brit called the physio before retiring from the match.

Last year’s runner-up was in tears as she walked off the court. Her retirement came as a surprise to commentators, and a stunned Eala kept her celebrations to a minumum.

The 20-year-old then told the crowd: “I’m a little out of words. I think this time of the year is tough moments for a lot of players, physically and mentally, being the end of the season.

“So I hope that Katie can take this time to recover and just look back at her season proudly.”