Katie Boulter ‘on another planet’ during emphatic victory in Hong Kong Open – as British No1 prepares for semi-final clash with Chinese star Yue Yuan in bid to clinch third title of the year

Katie Boulter will be bidding to reach her third final of an outstanding season tomorrow morning. 

The British No1 beat Russian Anastasia Zakharova 6-4, 6-0 today to reach the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open, where she will face Chinese player Yue Yuan.

Boulter said she was ‘on another planet’ in a tight first set, but came back down to earth and won the last eight games of the match. 

‘I picked up and played some really good stuff,’ she added. ‘I was free and relaxed on the court.’

The 28-year-old is the No2 seed at the event so should fancy her chances of adding to titles in San Diego and Nottingham this year.

Katie Boulter will be bidding to reach her third final of an outstanding season tomorrow morning

The British No1 has reached the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open, where she will face Chinese player Yue Yuan

Their first match of the finals in Malaga is against Germany on November 15, and it is still unsure whether Emma Raducanu will make herself available

In a career riven by injuries, Boulter is relishing being able to play a full schedule. She will hit a career high of at least 27th in the world and will rise to 22nd if she wins the title.

The fact she has played for five consecutive weeks across the Asian swing shows the trust Boulter now has in a body which let her down so many times in the first half of her career.

After Hong Kong, Boulter will head back to Europe and don the Union Jack as she leads Britain’s bid to win the Billie Jean King Cup. 

Their first match of the finals in Malaga is against Germany on November 15, and it is still unsure whether Emma Raducanu will make herself available. The 21-year-old has not played since a foot injury in Seoul in September.