(Reuters) – British wildcard Katie Boulter mentioned her shock second-round win over final 12 months’s runner-up Karolina Pliskova at Wimbledon on Thursday meant extra to her because it got here at her late grandmother’s favourite tournament.
Boulter, ranked 118th on the earth, eradicated the Czech sixth seed 3-6 7-6(4) 6-4 and mentioned in her on-court interview that her grandmother had handed away earlier this week, dedicating the victory to her.
“Her favourite tournament was Wimbledon,” Boulter informed reporters. “That’s why it is a particular one for me. She’d watch each single match that was on the TV.
“It’s been a troublesome few days for certain. I’ve tried to type of get my feelings out and take care of the state of affairs, try to preserve my head on the tennis.
“I used to be fortunate as a result of my grandpa managed to come back down from Leicester, and so we may preserve him firm and preserve supporting him at the identical time.”
Boulter added that she had solely realized of her grandmother’s dying after her first-round win over Clara Burel on Tuesday.
“I truly had a telephone name from my grandpa the evening earlier than I performed,” Boulter mentioned. “He did not point out something, however he type of gave me the inkling that it is likely to be coming.
“I did not know something till after my first match the place my mum principally pulled me apart and informed me after the primary match.”
Boulter, who has reached the third spherical of a Grand Slam for the primary time, will subsequent face Frenchwoman Harmony Tan.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
