Katie Boulter avoids French Open upset despite racking up 35 unforced errors
Katie Boulter avoids French Open upset despite racking up 35 unforced errors
Sonia TwiggMon, May 25, 2026 at 8:08 PM UTC
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Katie Boulter has a poor record in the majors but ground her way into the second round - Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Katie Boulter avoided an upset after being taken to three sets against the world No 185 to reach the second round of the French Open.
The match itself was punctuated with more mistakes than winners from both players before Boulter managed to claim victory 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 against American teenager Akasha Urhobo to get past the first round for just the second time in her career.
There were a total of 93 unforced errors, of which 35 were made by Boulter. The 29-year-old lost her momentum at key moments of the contest, notably double-faulting while facing set point. The tennis could best be described as turgid and it felt at times like both players were finding the tramlines as much as the singles court.
The heat of earlier in the day had dissipated as the shadow from Suzanne Lenglen’s towering structure covered the court, and teenager Urhobo rose to the occasion of her first grand-slam match.
American Akasha Urhobo, 19, was playing as a wild card - Thibault Camus/AP
Boulter has a tendency to perform well outside the slams, where she has only reached the third round three times in her career, despite reaching a high of world No 23. She has also failed to go past the second round since 2023, when she did so twice in subsequent majors at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Urhobo, 19, had never even won a match in qualifying when she was awarded a wild card to the French Open main draw as part of the reciprocal deal between the French Tennis Federation and the United States Tennis Association, which gives one wild-card place in both the men’s and women’s draw to a player from each nation, and another pair to qualifiers.
But after 2hr 2min, Boulter sealed the win with her second match point. Having been broken five times, she will have to raise her level against Anastasia Potapova in the next round.
“I think for me it was a little bit of a roller coaster,” she said. “I think some parts of it were good. Some parts of it I was almost playing to what she was giving me. I think that’s almost where I got myself in a little bit of a pickle.
“I think I had to force myself in the end to get myself out my shell even though I wasn’t physically 100 per cent. So, yeah, I’m pleased with the win today. No grand-slam match is an easy feat.”
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At the start of the day, British outsider Toby Samuel went down to world No 7 Alex De Minaur – Boulter’s fiancé – before joking the previous week had been “horrendous” after his beloved Southampton were thrown out of the play-offs for spying on Middlesbrough.
Samuel had never faced an opponent ranked in the top 100, and on his first appearance in a Grand Slam it was a remarkable contrast on court. De Minaur is the ultimate professional who has been consistently ranked in the top 10, whereas Samuel’s meteoric rise from obscurity only took place last year.
Toby Samuel’s participation at the French Open made up for his football team Southampton getting thrown out of the play-offs - Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
At the start of 2025, Samuel was ranked 1,867th in the world after suffering a bone bruise in his right arm that sidelined him for most of the previous season. And after a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 loss, Samuel was pleased enough with his performance.
“It was an amazing experience. I couldn’t wish it went any different,” Samuel said. “Maybe a little bit better in the match, but it’s just so cool playing in that first round today.”
While stepping on court with De Minaur might be the highlight of Samuel’s career, coming from a family of Southampton fans, he admitted that the last week had not been enjoyable.
“My dad was talking about wearing a “Free Southampton” shirt to the match,” he said jokingly, before his attention turns to the grass season and wild cards.
“I just want to put myself in the best position possible for the main-draw wild card. Obviously, there’s so many good players in England, you never know what’s going to happen.”
For much of the contest, Samuel was able to hold his own with a powerful serve and high top-spin forehand. But De Minaur has to be one of the most consistent players on tour and won all the crucial long rallies to avoid an upset with ease.
Samuel delivered more aces with a strong serve that forced De Minaur so far back into the court he was out of sight for those sitting in the stands behind him. While an upset was unlikely, Samuel has put himself in good stead to rise further up the rankings when the tour switches surface with a game suited to the grass court.
Source: “AOL Sports”
