Katie Boulter loses but earns praise of Aryna Sabalenka at Australian Open

Katie Boulter was lauded for a brave losing debut in the Australian Open, but it was equally obvious that players such as the powerful young Belarusian who beat her in straight sets, Aryna Sabalenka, will make life difficult for everyone on the Tour in the next decade or so.

Sabalenka, at 20, is two years younger than her Leicester opponent, but 86 places ahead of her in the rankings at No 11 – and it was easy to see why as she struck seven aces among 26 clean winners to win 6-3, 6-4 in their second-round match on the Melbourne Arena, where Andy Murray bowed out on Monday.

These two fine players have many years in front of them, and Boulter’s ranking probably will not linger around the century mark for much longer.

Sabalenka said of Boulter: “She’s an aggressive player, plays down the lines, a lot of winners. It was hard to pick up the right corner where she’s going because she’s going, like, really hard and deep – really flat balls. Sometimes it’s tough to control them.”

She added: “I’m so happy to win. She played great. Me, too, actually. It was really good match.” Her next opponent is Amanda Anisimova, the American 17-year-old ranked No 87 in the world, who knocked out the 24th seed Lesia Tsurenko 6-0, 6-2 in only 54 minutes.

It should be an interesting match-up. The New Jersey-born daughter of Russian parents – a former US Open junior champion – is being groomed by the sports management group IMG as “the new Maria Sharapova”.

Boulter, who beat Ekaterina Makarova in the first round, leaves the tournament disappointed but right to believe she can be in that mix. “I thought I stuck with her pretty well,” she said. “It’s encouraging for me to play someone like that not playing my best tennis but still be in there with a chance to win a set or two. I didn’t feel like I put my best game on the court. She played very well – it’s very tough to read her serve.”

Boulter was being a little hard on herself, according to the former British No 1 Annabel Croft, watching the match for Eurosport. “Katie should be very proud of what she put out there against a world No 11. Sabalenka is one of the most exciting prospects on the Tour. Katie came out striking the ball with authority, really big hitting from the back of the court.”

Jo Durie, a quarter-finalist here in 1983, agreed. “Katie’s run in the tournament will inspire her to get out there and work even harder on her game.”

Boulter has a recent win over Serena Williams – albeit in mixed doubles in the Hopman Cup. The Briton reckons comparisons between the 23-times grand slam champion and Sabalenka are premature, but may soon be valid: “Serena is a great, she has won this tournament seven times, and many others. Sabalenka is someone who is coming up and it’s very possible she could win any of [the slams]. They are two different players, though. She has got a really good future ahead of her. I am looking forward to being on the Tour with her.

“This week has been massive. The past couple of weeks as well. My whole trip to Australia has been a learning experience. It has been really great for me. I have been surrounded by people I am not normally around. I have learned so much from just playing matches on big courts, which I haven’t done before. I feel a lot more settled out there. And I will definitely use it for the rest of my year.”

Her two wins have added $180,000 to her earnings, but she will not be indulging herself. “I will be putting the money towards my tennis. You have to invest in yourself to get the rewards.”