Injured Boulter retires from Hong Kong open
An emotional Katie Boulter retired from her first-round match at the Hong Kong Open due to injury.
The 29-year-old Briton called for the trainer and was in tears after deciding she could not continue while trailing 20-year-old Filipino Alexandra Eala 6-4 2-1.
Boulter has won just eight of her past 21 main draw matches, failing to progress beyond the second round of a tournament since the Nottingham Open in June.
Speaking after Boulter left the court, Eala told the crowd: “I’m a little out of words. I think this time of the year is a tough moment for a lot of players, physically and mentally, being the end of the season. I hope that Katie can take this time to recover and just look back on her season proudly.”
Several high-profile players have ended their 2025 campaigns prematurely in recent weeks due to injury or health issues. British number one Emma Raducanu ended her season earlier this month after retiring from her two previous matches with illness.
That followed former world number one Iga Swiatek, who described the season as “too long and too intense” after a string of injuries among players at the China Open in September.
