British No 1 Katie Boulter escaped the rain at the Rothesay Open in Nottingham on Friday, advancing to the semi-finals after a convincing win over Magdalena Frech, while Fran © needed only 4 points to complete her win over Ashlyn Krueger in their match held overnight, but top seed Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducan\u2019s quarter-finals were delayed until Saturday.
The first set, I thought there was some really good tennis from me, some of the best I\u2019ve played. I\u2019m slowly building some momentum. I\u2019m just really happy to get through today. I can\u2019t do any more rain delays.
Boulter, the defending champion, guaranteed a British finalist in Nottingham again, after defeating Magdalena Frech, 6-2 6-4, in the rain-hit WTA 250 tournament.
\u201cI was straight up panicking [at the end], I was thinking I can\u2019t do it again,\u201d Boulter said. \u201cMy heart rate must have been the highest it was in the whole match in that final game, trying to serve it out, and seeing that rain cloud coming.
\u201cI saw it creeping closer and closer as the time was passing. I was going to make sure that I got it done there and then, for sure.
\u201cDuring the [earlier] rain delay, it was more about relaxing, switching off. In the last few weeks, I\u2019ve been used to a bit of rain. I\u2019m quite used to relaxing and chilling out. I wanted to make sure the lead that I\u2019d started off with, I didn\u2019t let it slip.
\u201cI like to sit and relax. I was watching my boyfriend [Australia\u2019s Alex de Minaur] play. He was playing so I could relax watching that. It keeps my mind off things.\u201d
A delighted Fran Jones needed 4 points to polish off 19-year old Ashlyn Krueger in their rain-delayed 2nd-round match
Earlier, © had to wait nearly 24 hours to get back on court after the rain arrived while she was serving for the match on Thursday, with further inclement weather then delaying the start of play on Friday.
After enduring another 90-minute delay, they finally got on court, and American teenager Krueger struck first, finding a sliced winner to wrong-foot Jones and reach break point, but the Brit produced a solid serve to get out of trouble.
The British No 7 then held her nerve to make swift work of Krueger, completing a 6-4 4-6 7-5 victory over the American, punching the air in delight after winning 3 points in a row to book a place in her 2nd WTA Tour quarter-final, and her first on home soil.
\u201cThat was a more excruciating wait than when Man United were 2-1 up against City,\u201d the World No 249 joked, referencing the FA Cup final of the previous month, and charming the crowd. \u201cIt definitely tested my worst attribute, which is my patience. I\u2019ve heard a lot of jokes. Ons [Jabeur] was telling me to serve two aces. I put first serves in, so we\u2019ll take it.\u201d
In so doing, Jones set up a Last 8 encounter with Raducanu, which was subsequently delayed until Saturday because of the rain.
\u201cEmma and I get on really well,\u201d said Jones. \u201cWe\u2019ve spent a lot of time with each other the last couple of weeks, to the point that we\u2019re both actually ill, and I think we\u2019ve given it to each other \u2013 I\u2019m going to blame her.
\u201cIt\u2019ll be a great match, obviously no pressure for me, and I\u2019ve just got to enjoy it. I hope we both enjoy it, and we can give the crowd a little bit of a taste of what hopefully is the future of British tennis.\u201d
Katie Boulter managed to beat the incoming rain in her Last 8 match against Magdalena Frech at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre on Friday
Whoever wins, will set up a semi-final against Boulter, but will have to do it the hard way, by playing 2 matches on Saturday.
More rain forced a lengthy stoppage with 27-year-old Boulter leading Frech 4-2, but the 3rd seed finished off the first set before recovering from a break down in the second.
\u201cThe first set, I thought there was some really good tennis from me, some of the best I\u2019ve played,\u201d said Boulter in her on-court interview. \u201cI\u2019m slowly building some momentum. I\u2019m just really happy to get through today. I can\u2019t do any more rain delays.
\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely awesome to see a lot of Brits doing really well. Last year was myself and Jodie [Burrage] in the final. I played Hev [Heather Watson] in the semis, Harriet [Dart] in the quarters, so I think we\u2019re in a really good place.\u201d
Top seed Ons Jabeur raced past Linda Fruhvirtova into the quarters in Nottingham
Meanwhile, Jabeur, the World No 10, also reached the quarters, racing past Czech Linda Fruhvirtova, 6-2 6-1, and was due to play Karolina Pliskova, the 6th seed, later in the day, but this match, too, was postponed by rain until Saturday.
The Tunisian repeatedly outfoxed the 19-year-old Czech qualifier, and did not let yet another rain delay of several hours between the sets halt her momentum.
In the 2nd top half quarter-final, France\u2019s Diane Parry takes on Australian qualifier Kimberley Birrell.
