Katie Boulter of Great Britain narrowly avoided an early exit at the French Open, securing a hard-fought victory in her first-round match against American wildcard Akasha Urhobo. Boulter, who has historically found clay courts challenging and achieved her first WTA Tour-level win on the surface only last year at 28, managed to progress to the second round at Roland Garros for merely the second time. She triumphed over the 19-year-old Urhobo, making her Grand Slam main draw debut, with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 scoreline.
Her next opponent will be Austrian 28th seed Anastasia Potapova. Earlier on the same day, Boulter’s fiancé, Alex de Minaur of Australia, concluded Toby Samuel’s impressive run, with Samuel having navigated three qualifying rounds in Paris.
Despite being ranked 114 places higher than Urhobo, Boulter’s limited experience on clay has sometimes led to difficulties against lower-ranked players on this surface. However, Boulter recently expressed to BBC Sport her growing embrace of clay court challenges. “There have been times in the past where I feel like I have had to try to convince myself that I like the clay, whereas at the moment I genuinely believe that I can play great on it,” she stated.
After a tough 2025 where she fell from world number 24 to outside the top 100 due to injuries and consequently lost her British number one ranking, Boulter sought a fresh start. She parted ways with long-time coach Biljana Veselinovic and appointed Michael Joyce, former coach to Maria Sharapova, in early 2026. Following a first-round exit at the Australian Open in January, Boulter re-entered the top 100 by winning a WTA 250 title in Ostrava and reaching the third round in Miami. Nevertheless, her form remained inconsistent, with only three WTA Tour-level singles victories across four clay tournaments leading up to the Paris major.
The match saw numerous unforced errors from both players. They exchanged breaks twice in the opening set before Boulter eventually served it out. Consecutive double faults from Boulter gave Urhobo an advantage in the second set. Although Boulter managed to level the score briefly, the Florida-born player immediately regained her lead, forcing a deciding set. Both competitors elevated their game in the third set, with Boulter asserting dominance by breaking serve in the fourth game. Despite failing to serve out the set initially, the Briton ultimately secured the win after two hours and ten minutes, breaking Urhobo’s serve for the sixth time. Urhobo’s 58 unforced errors, compared to Boulter’s 35, proved too costly for the rising star who broke into the top 200 earlier this year.
Post-match, Boulter revealed she wasn’t at 100% physically during the contest. She attributed this to cumulative fatigue over recent weeks, possibly compounded by a slight illness. She expressed her surprise at not feeling better on court, citing the conditions or insufficient rest as potential factors. Boulter noted having felt tired during practice sessions and aimed to play without overthinking her physical state, focusing on performing her best.
Samuel’s ‘dream run’ concludes.
Toby Samuel, 23, who had dropped to nearly 2,000 in world rankings after missing much of the 2024 season due to a right arm injury, saw his impressive streak come to an end. He has since made significant strides, climbing more places than any other male player over the past year to reach 159th, driven by a series of ATP Challenger Tour titles. Playing the biggest match of his career, Samuel delivered a commendable performance despite a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 loss to seven-time major quarter-finalist De Minaur, the first top-100 player he has ever faced. Samuel described his week as “more than I could ever hope for” and achieving a main draw spot as “more than I could have ever wanted.” He now aims for a Wimbledon wildcard, focusing on a week-by-week approach to put himself in the best possible position.
