Britain’s Katie Boult failed to repeat her success as she lost to Italian top seed Jasmine Paolini in the quarter-finals of the Merida Open.
Playing against the world No. 7 in Mexico, Bolt won the first set in 28 minutes without losing a game.
But the mistakes began to creep in as Paolini won 0-6 6-3 6-3.
Paolini only scored 3 points in the first set, but started the second set strongly, breaking serve for the first time and leading 3-1.
Bolt came into the match on the back of a seven-game winning streak, including a win at the Ostrava Open, and he broke serve straight away, but neither player could hold serve in the next three games.
It was Paolini who had the courage to win the second set and even the score.
The 2024 Wimbledon and French Open finalist led 2-0 in the deciding set. Although Bolt broke and held serve to lead 3-2, the Italian’s confidence grew and she won four games in a row to earn a spot in the semifinals.
“It was a really tough match – Katie, in the first set she smashed every ball and hit winners everywhere,” Paolini told Sky Sports.
“I told myself to hit the ball deeper and hit the ball harder because I had to improve to win games, and it finally worked.
“I tried to stay calm and think about what I had to do. I think when you’re nervous, you can’t find solutions.”
