Watch: Emotional Katie Boulter dedicates win over Karolina Pliskova to her grandmother who recently passed away
Katie Boulter dedicated her victory over Karolina Pliskova at Wimbledon on Thursday to her grandmother, who passed away a few days ago.
The Brit sealed her place in the third round of the grasscourt Major by defeating last year's runner-up in three sets. Pliskova took the first set 6-3 but Boulter won the next two 7-6(4), 6-4.
"My gran passed away two days ago. I'd just like to dedicate that to her"
A touching moment on Centre Court for @katiecboulter and her family 💚💜
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/48rzrM3OPR
During her on-court interview after the match, the 25-year-old said she was lost for words and thanked the crowd for their "unbelievable" support.
"Oh my God, I've got absolutely no words right now, I'm literally shaking," Boulter said. "The crowd was unbelievable, so thank you so much for getting me through that."
Katie Boulter reprises her popular Karolina Pliskova-beating act from Eastbourne & brings it to Centre Court.
3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 - an absolutely excellent win. She's into R3 of a Grand Slam for the first time.
A rough season for Pliskova continues to be, well, rough 😬 https://t.co/L9WYueEYUK
An emotional Boulter dedicated the win to her grandmother.
"Oh God, I'm going to get emotional," Boulter continued. "My gran passed two days ago so I dedicate that to her today."
The Brit said that reaching the third round at Wimbledon was a "dream come true" and hoped that with the crowd's support, she could go far in the tournament.
"Honestly, it's dream come true for me," Boulter said. "I've got hopefully many more matches to play and if I can have you guys (the crowd) behind me for those, then hopefully I can go a long way, thank You so much."
Katie Boulter will face Harmony Tan in the 3rd round
Katie Boulter will square off against Harmony Tan in the third round at Wimbledon. It will be the Brit's first appearance at this stage at the Grand Slam level.
Tan booked her place in the last 32 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over 32nd seed Sara Sorribes Tormo. She shocked Serena Williams 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(7) in the first round.
Boulter and Harmony will meet for the first time on the WTA tour. The winner will take on either Amanda Anisimovsa or Coco Gauff in the Round of 16.
Boulter has now beaten Pliskova twice in succession. She also got the better of the tall Czech at Eastbourne last week. The Brit looks in good touch and will take some stopping in front of a partisan home crowd.