Taking to the court for her first tournament since her appearance at the Australian Open in January due to a foot injury, Boulter was granted a first-round bye, entering the competition as the 25th seed.
In an intense opening, former Wimbledon champion Rybakina came out firing, winning the first seven games and finishing the first set in just 26 minutes. However, Boulter wasn’t backing down easily. She rallied in the second set, breaking Rybakina’s serve to secure a 4-3 lead and then held her nerve to serve for the set at 5-4.
Despite the pressure mounting, Boulter saved two break points but couldn’t fend off a third. Rybakina seized the opportunity, leveling the set and then, with one last push, broke Boulter’s serve once again, taking advantage of a double fault on match point to clinch victory.
With this win, Rybakina moves forward to the last 16, where she will meet Russian ninth seed Mirra Andreeva, who swept past Denmark’s Clara Tauson with a commanding 6-3, 6-0 victory.
Meanwhile, defending champion Iga Swiatek, pursuing her third title in this event, put on a dominant display against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, breezing through with a 6-0, 6-2 win.
Swiatek’s next challenge is Karolina Muchova, who secured her place with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova.
Elsewhere in the tournament, American fourth seed Jessica Pegula defeated China’s Wang Xinyu 6-2, 6-1. Pegula is set to face Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who earned her spot with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over American Danielle Collins.
