Defending champion Boulter loses in Nottingham

Two-time defending champion Katie Boulter’s run at the Nottingham Open was ended in a dramatic loss to American McCartney Kessler at the quarter-final stage.

Against the world number 42 Boulter found herself 4-2 up in the deciding set but lost 6-3 3-6 6-4 after two hours and nine minutes.

British number two Boulter had won the past two Nottingham Open titles and was on a 12-match winning run at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament.

She played well in the first set but took just one of 11 break points, while 25-year-old Kessler converted two of her five.

In the second set Boulter wrestled back control, not conceding a single break point.

But in the decider, despite being two games away from the semi-finals, she lost four straight games to be defeated at Nottingham for the first time in three years.