Katie Boulter continued her revival with a hard-fought victory over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the opening round of the Miami Open to gain sweet revenge for her US Open defeat to the Spaniard in 2024.
Boulter, who received direct entry into the main draw after enjoying a consistent couple of months on the WTA Tour, fought back from 6-2 down in the first-set tie break to overcome her Spanish opponent 7-6 (11-9) 6-4.
The British No 3 made a strong start in the main draw, progressing in one hour and 48 minutes to set up a meeting with 17th seed Clara Tauson in the second round.
The 29-year-old picked up her fourth tour-level title last month at the Ostrava Open and she backed up that run by reaching the quarter-finals at the Merida Open.
Despite losing in qualifying at Indian Wells, Boulter put on a strong showing in Florida saving six set points in a prolonged opening set tie-break, eventually closing it out after more than an hour of play.
Boulter maintained her level and despite being broken early in the second set, she responded by breaking back and serving out the match.
"It was unfortunate I got broken from love-40. I thought I played a really good game and I kind of gave a couple of points away on double faults. It was a small mistake but I didn't let that control so I focused on myself and managed to go for it in the last game and trust my shots," Boulter told Your Site' Laura Robson.
"It's really difficult out here. It's cold, it's windy but you still want to commit and she is a player who goes after her shots a lot and if you don't go after it she's going to control you and you're going to get into a bit of trouble. Whenever I got broken she was going for her shots and I think she played some great tennis.
"It is tricky with the serve, you have kind of got to keep your first serve percentage up and try and get a bit of shape on it which I felt I did well at times and stuck to the right shots I was trying to hit throughout the rest."
Boulter, who was beaten by Bouzas Maneiro at the US Open in 2024, admitted their previous meeting has been playing on her mind.
"That kind of stung me and I wanted revenge," Boulter said. "It was the first thing I thought off when I saw the draw. I actually let that one get away from me but I know how good a player she is and I felt like the level and quality of our tennis tonight was good but really pleased with the way I played today."
Three-time winner Venus Williams returns for her 23rd Miami Open against Britain's Fran Jones, while Arthur Fery, who has qualified for his first ever Masters 1000, takes on former French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Night Session - Not Before midnight
Grandstand
Fran Jones vs [WC] Venus Williams
Butch Buchholz
Not Before midnight
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Arthur Fery
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