Katie Boulter's Clay-Court Campaign Begins with Disappointing Loss

Katie Boulter's clay-court season got off to a rocky start as she was eliminated in the first round of the Linz Open in Austria, falling to Elena-Gabriela Ruse in straight sets on Monday. Ruse secured a hard-fought victory, winning 7-6 (6-3) 7-6 (6-2) against the British No 3. Boulter struggled initially, losing her first two service games, but managed to level the score at 4-4 in the opening set. However, Ruse dominated the first tie-break and went on to break Boulter's serve immediately in the second set. Although Boulter broke back, she was unable to capitalise on the momentum, losing her serve again after taking a 3-2 lead. Serving to stay in the match at 6-5, Boulter saved a match point but ultimately lost the second tie-break, ending her tournament prematurely. Ruse will face either Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine or American seventh seed Ann Li in the next round. The ATP and WTA Tours can be streamed live on Sky Sports or with the Sky Sports app, offering customers over 50 per cent more live sports content at no additional cost.