Boulter one of four Britons to win in Nottingham

Katie Boulter, a two-time defending champion, was one of four Britons who advanced to the Nottingham Open on day two.

In the first round, British champion Boulter defeated New Zealand’s Lulu Sun 6-2, 6-2, in 75 minutes.

Boulter, who qualified for Wimbledon last year as a qualifier, saved each of her four break points against Sun.

Leolia Jeanjean defeated French qualifier Kartal 6-3, 6-4, the British number three, behind Emma Raducanu and Boulter.

Following Xu’s 6-3, 6-3 victory over Katie Volynets and Jones’ 7-5, 6-4 victory over compatriot Harriet Dart, Xu claimed her first WTA Tour main-draw victory.

At least one British player will likely advance to the quarter-finals, with Boulter taking on Kartal on Thursday.

Boulter described playing her compatriot as “I’ve played enough of them now.”

Sonay is a fantastic tennis player, and I have a lot of respect for her. I’ve always assured her that she would not be able to lower her ranking.

We recently had a very close encounter on grass, so I’m confident it will be a real battle.

Across the board, Xu surpassed American Volynets, who is 254 places above her in the world rankings, in an impressive victory.

In a second set that included six break-of-service, Xu, 17, held his own as he battled the world’s number 96 to defeat Poland’s Magda Linette.

I had to put my trust in both myself and my game. I’ve been playing a lot of tennis on the grass, Xu said.

I enjoy playing above my ranking without feeling any pressure on myself.

2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova defeated world number six Madison Keys 7-5 7-6 (8-6) at the Berlin grass-court competition.

As Vondrousova recovers from a lengthy shoulder injury, her first victory over a top-10 player this year is her first.

Bianca Andreescu defeated Queen’s second-placed Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-3, to advance.

Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, lost to Liudmila Samsonova 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in her first grass-court match of the year.