Boulter overcomes Hong Kong disruption as Norrie ends ATP win drought

Katie Boulter advanced to the last 16 of the Hong Kong Open with a 6-2 7-6 (7-2) victory over Viktorija Golubic, recovering from a disputed point and two late service breaks. BBC Sport reported that the British number one had been serving for the match at 5-2 in the second set before her progress was interrupted.

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Boulter complained to the umpire when a point was not replayed after an audible noise from outside the court caused a distraction. Golubic broke her serve in that game, and Boulter then lost her next service game as well. The second set consequently went to a tie-break, where Boulter regained control to complete the straight-sets win.

Reflecting on the match, Boulter said she had been playing well enough to finish earlier but allowed the incident to affect her. She linked her reaction partly to tiredness at the end of the season, explaining that she would usually handle that kind of disruption better. Her assessment was that she had learned from the experience while still finding a way through.

The world number 49 will face American Claire Liu in the next round. Boulter 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 meeting required her to recover from the late setback before securing another victory over the Swiss player.

In Paris, Cameron Norrie also progressed, beating Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 1-6 6-3 in the opening round of the Paris Masters. According to BBC Sport, the one-hour, 41-minute contest brought the British number two his first ATP Tour victory since August. Arnaldi was ranked 36th, nine places above Norrie.

Norrie surrendered an early break in the fourth game of the opening set but immediately broke again, eventually taking the set in 36 minutes. Arnaldi responded by breaking him three times in the second. Norrie then recovered in the decider, moving 3-1 ahead with a break and holding on to secure his place in the second round.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Norrie described a difficult year and said he wanted to focus on enjoying each point rather than the pressure of expecting to win. The 31-year-old said he was trying to give himself more freedom to compete and appreciate playing.