Boulter sends message to Jack Draper as more Brits bite the dust at US Open

Chinese tennis star Wu Yibing on his journey to ATP Tour

Katie Boulter urged Jack Draper to “keep flying that flag” after the big left-hander was left as the last Brit standing in the US Open singles. Dan Evans lost to world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and Cam Norrie was shocked by Italian debutant Matteo Arnaldi, and fellow British No.1 Boulter followed them out last night as she lost 6-4 6-3 to American Peyton Stearns out on Court 17.

British No.5 Draper will face Russian No.8 seed Andrey Rublev in his first Grand Slam fourth-round tie on Monday. And Boulter said: “I wish him the best. Keep flying that flag. He has the game for it. It would be nice to see him go deeper and deeper.”

Classy Peyton won her first-ever WTA-level match against Boulter in a three-tiebreak marathon in Austin and is now provisionally up to world No.44. The kid from Cincinnati took her third match point with her 15th forehand winner after 97 minutes at just before 9pm local time. Boulter acknowledged she had lost to the better player on the night.

“I wouldn’t say it was my best tennis,” she said.” It was very competitive. I felt like I could have done a lot of things better but ultimately I gave everything I had on the day and that is tennis. I have to learn from it and have to make things better. But credit to her. Her forehand is one of the best I would say on the women’s side. I played a little bit into it today and that is what I have to learn from.”

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Boulter beat French world No.88 Diane Parry and Chinese qualifier Yafan Wang to reach the third round of an overseas Major for the first time. And the Nottingham champion is still set to break into the world’s top 50 after losing at this stage in a Major for the third time. She went down to reigning champion Elena Rybakina in another Saturday night defeat at Wimbledon in July.

“My last three Grand Slams where I have qualified have been third rounds,” she said. “I think I have proven I can play matches not just on a grass court which for me is where I gain my confidence. I can sit here and say it was tough losing today but ultimately I have to be happy with where I’m at, I’m at a career-high ranking. It doesn’t stop me wanting more though. I am hungry.

“Ultimately this is my moment to push on. I want to making further into the Grand Slams but I have been very consistent. I feel I am really building something. It is not just going to be one Grand Slam, I’m slowly building something and that is where I get my satisfaction.”

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Draper will face Rublev for the third time after twice losing to the Russian last year. “He’s been in the top 10 for many years, having great results, consistently doing well in the slams and won his first 1000 (Monte Carlo) this year,” said the British No.5. “He is an incredible player.

“Anyone who you play in the fourth round, they’ve won three matches and they’re playing good tennis and feeling good out here. It will be really difficult.”

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