TOKYO — Katie Boulter overcame a poor showing on the WTA Tour’s Asian swing to advance to the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Bianca Andreescu on Friday.
The 28-year-old British player has lost to Coco Gauff in the first round in Wuhan and the second round at the China Open in recent weeks. But she outclassed former US Open champion Andreescu, who beat Serena Williams in straight sets in the 2019 final, in the first of her semi-finals in Tokyo on Friday.
Boulter will face another Grand Slam singles champion, 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin, in Saturday’s semifinals. Kenin defeated fifth-seeded Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-4.
Zheng Qinwen, the first seed and Paris Olympic gold medalist, was then scheduled to face eighth seed Leylah Fernandez in the quarterfinals. The winner will play the role of Diana Schneider, who succeeded in a walkover after her opponent Sayaka Ishii was unable to play on the court due to an undisclosed illness or injury.
In 2022, 19-year-old Zheng reached her first WTA final in Tokyo, losing to Liudmila Samsonova in the title match. Two years later, she is the reigning Olympic champion and qualified for next month’s WTA finals in Riyadh by competing in the Wuhan final two weeks ago.
