Britain’s top-ranked Katie Boulter won her WTA title with a 5-7 6-2 6-2 victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the San Diego Open final. First win in the 500 event.
After the two started tied, the sixth-seeded Ukrainian began to beat Bolt, winning consecutive games and quickly approaching the first set.
Bolt fought back to bring the score to 5-5, but Kostyuk regained his momentum and won the first set 7-5. Bolt then found his best form in the second set and dominated from the first serve, sealing the victory 6-2 and forcing the deciding set.
The British continued to maintain their advantage in the third game, taking the first break point and leading 3-1. Bolt broke serve again in the seventh game and attacked from there, sealing the victory in 2 hours and 13 minutes.
The 27-year-old from Leicester has attracted attention from boyfriend Alex De Minaur, who arranged an early flight after defending his title in Acapulco. Bolt thanked her Australian partner in her post-match comments.
“I want to say a special thank you to my boyfriend,” she said. “He ended up at midnight last night and I really wanted to embarrass him. He took the 4.15 taxi this morning and got here on the six o’clock flight today, so I’m grateful.”
The two women won their first WTA Tour titles last year during a breakout 2023 season.
Bolt won her first title on grass last summer in Nottingham, while Kosteljuk won in Austin.
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Bolt is off to a strong start to the 2024 season, with a win over Kosteljuk guaranteeing her a top-30 finish for the first time.
