Boulter overcomes late disruption to reach Hong Kong last 16

Katie Boulter reached the last 16 of the Hong Kong Open after overcoming a disputed point and a late challenge from Viktorija Golubic. The British number one won 6-2 7-6 (7-2), recovering from two lost service games in the second set to secure a straight-sets victory, BBC Sport reported on 2 November.

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Boulter was serving for the match at 5-2 in the second set when she complained to the umpire about an audible distraction from outside the court. The point was not replayed, and Golubic broke her serve. Boulter then lost her next service game as well, leaving her to settle the match in a tie-break, which she won by seven points to two.

Afterwards, Boulter acknowledged that the decision had disrupted her concentration. She said she had been playing well enough to finish the match earlier but had found it harder than usual to put the incident aside because she was tired late in the season. Her assessment was that she had learned from the experience while still finding a way to advance.

Ranked 49th in the world, Boulter will face American Claire Liu in the next round. She was the Hong Kong runner-up in 2024 and had also beaten Golubic, ranked 89th, during her run to the Japan Open semi-finals last month. This latest victory put her through without needing a deciding set despite the interruption to her momentum.

Elsewhere in Hong Kong, Venus Williams lost 6-2 6-3 to fellow American Mary Stoiana in the opening round. BBC Sport reported that it was Williams' 17th successive singles defeat. The 46-year-old seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, ranked 597th, has not won a singles match since July 2025. Stoiana, 23, entered the match ranked 113th.

In Paris, Cameron Norrie earned his first ATP Tour victory since August by defeating Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 1-6 6-3 in one hour and 41 minutes. Arnaldi broke the Briton three times in the second set, but Norrie recovered in the decider, moved a break ahead at 3-1 and completed the win to reach the Paris Masters second round.