Injured Boulter retires from Hong Kong Open

With an injury, Katie Boulter, who was emotional, broke down from her Hong Kong Open first-round match.

After trailing 20-year-old Filipino Alexandra Eala 6-4 2-1, the Briton, 29, called the trainer and was crying.

Since the Nottingham Open in June, Boulter has only won eight of her previous 21 main draw games. She hasn’t advanced past the second round of a tournament.

Eala addressed the audience by phone shortly after Boulter left the court, saying, “I’m a little out of words. Due to the end of the season, I believe that many players are dealing with a difficult time of the year physically and mentally.

In recent weeks, a number of well-known athletes have lost their 2025 campaigns prematurely due to injuries or other health issues.

Emma Raducanu, the British no. 1, canceled her season earlier this month because of illness. She had missed two matches.

Following a string of injuries suffered by players at the China Open in September, former world no. 1 Iga Swiatek criticized the season as being “too long and intense.”