Tokyo, Oct 26 (IANS): British number one Katie Boulter lost to American wildcard Sofia Kenin in straight sets to miss out on the final of the Pan Pacific Open on Saturday.
Boulter, who was aiming for a third title of the year, lost 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 30 minutes to the former world number four.
Boulter was broken twice in the first set and despite recovering one of those breaks when Kenin first served for the set, she couldn’t break again. The 2020 Australian Open champion ultimately claimed the set on her second opportunity.
In the second set, Kenin faced four break points in the sixth game but held on to level at 3-3, then broke Boulter in the following game. She kept her lead from there, advancing to the final.
Kenin will now face either top seed and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen of China or Russian Diana Shnaider, the sixth seed, in the final.