Katie Boulter’s Hong Kong Open campaign came to a grinding halt earlier this week after she retired from her first-round match against Alexandra Eala.
While trailing 6-4, 2-1 against Eala, Boulter called the trainer onto the court in Hong Kong before retiring from the match.
The British star was visibly upset and is set to fall 20 places to world number 99 following her loss to Eala.
This is because Boulter was unable to defend the WTA points she gained from reaching the 2024 Hong Kong Open final.
Eala now faces a tough test in the form of Victoria Mboko, who produced one of the stories of 2025 by winning her maiden WTA Tour title at the Canadian Open in August.
Meanwhile, Boulter – who was sent a heartwarming message by Alexandra Eala after their match – has posted an update on social media following her loss in Hong Kong.
Katie Boulter reveals she has been playing through injuries
On Instagram, Boulter said: “Been a little quiet over here. Being honest, the past couple weeks have been rough.
“I’ve loved my time in Asia, but playing through injuries is draining. Just keeping it real, it’s been a lot. But I’m a big, big believer that everything happens for a reason. So I will keep trusting.
“Time to slow down, recharge. Huge love to the ones who check in and keep me smiling.
“Big thank you to the Hong Kong Open for going the extra mile and looking after me this week.”
During the Asian swing, Boulter has struggled to make her mark and has consequently seen her ranking slowly decrease.
The 29-year-old reached the second round of the China Open before losing to eventual champion Amanda Anisimova.
In Wuhan, Boulter fell in the qualifying rounds to Viktoria Tomova, despite being the third seed.
In Japan, Boulter recorded an impressive victory against second seed Linda Noskova. However, she then lost to world number 45 Sorana Cirstea.
In a second Japanese event, Boulter won two rounds of qualifying before being comprehensively beaten by Eva Lys in the first round of the main draw: 6-2, 6-1.
Katie Boulter’s 2024 Hong Kong Open run
Katie Boulter’s run to the 2024 Hong Kong Open final was undoubtedly a high point in her season.
In the first round, Boulter defeated Japan’s Aoi Ito, who has gone on to defeat Jasmine Paolini, Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, in 2025.
A 7-6, 6-4 victory over Xinyu Wang followed, before a straight sets quarter-final win against Anastasia Zakharova.
In the semi-finals, Boulter continued to impress, defeating sixth seed Yue Yuan 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
Unfortunately for fans of Boulter, the Brit was defeated in the final by top seed Diana Shnaider, who won the contest 6-1, 6-2.
