Katie Boulter retains hopes of second successive Nottingham open title alive

Katie Boulter’s dream of a second successive title at her house occasion is firmly alive after breezing into the quarter-finals.

Victory on the Nottingham Open final yr kick-started a formidable yr which has seen her surge into the world’s high 30.

And he or she is trying good once more on house turf after easing previous Rebecca Marino 6-4 6-3 to guide a quarter-final spot.

Boulter, from close by Leicester, used to coach on the Nottingham Tennis Centre so is revelling in having the ability to play her greatest tennis right here.

“I’ve a few of my childhood reminiscences right here so I all the time get that heat fuzzy feeling each time I come out right here,” she stated.

“Simply being again the place it began jogs my memory how far I’ve come and I simply preserve working onerous day-after-day and see what occurs.

“I’m out right here having fun with myself on the Nottingham courts and I don’t take that as a right.

“It will take a while to be at my greatest, I’m lifelike with that, it’s about getting some momentum and attending to the final weeks of the grass court docket season and enjoying my greatest stuff there.

“However I wouldn’t thoughts enjoying my greatest stuff right here both. I’ll take it one match at a time and see how we go.”

Heather Watson was unable to observe her compatriot into the final eight as she misplaced to 2016 champion Karolina Pliskova.

Watson competed properly towards the sixth seed however went down 6-4 6-4.

Emma Raducanu will purpose to guide her quarter-final spot when she takes on Daria Snigur whereas Fran Jones additionally carries British hopes towards Ashlyn Krueger.

Dan Evans endured a tricky time within the males’s Challenger occasion, edging previous final yr’s Wimbledon boys’ champion Henry Searle.

Evans wanted two tiebreaks to prevail, successful 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) to arrange one other all-British tie towards Charles Broom within the quarter-final.

“He’s clearly excellent,” stated Evans of Searle. “I’m simply joyful to come back via to be trustworthy – it’s not the draw I wished to see once I noticed I used to be subsequent to his identify.”