Boulter vs Rybakina LIVE! Wimbledon 2023 latest result and updates from Centre Court
Boulter vs Rybakina LIVE!
Katie Boulter must find way a past defending champion Elena Rybakina on Centre Court this evening if she is to keep her Wimbledon run going. The 26-year-old is the last British player standing in either singles draw, after Andy Murray, Cam Norrie and Liam Broady were all beaten in quick succession on Friday.
It has been a testing week already for Boulter, with her first-round match interrupted by both rain and protesters and three sets then required to get past Viktoriya Tomova on Thursday. She has already matched her best Grand Slam run, achieved 12 months ago at SW19, and another victory here would be by far the biggest of her career.
Rybakina had a limited build-up to her Wimbledon title defence as she battled illness, with the third seed yet to produce her best tennis this week. Shelby Rogers and Alize Cornet have both caused the 24-year-old some problems, and Boulter will be confident of doing likewise with the Centre Court crowd firmly behind her. Follow updates from Katie Boulter vs Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon LIVE from Centre Court below!
Boulter vs Rybakina latest news
MATCH: Rybakina wins 6-1, 6-1
SET: Rybakina in a real hurry with a 6-1 first set
Rain delays Centre Court action
Boulter: I’m going to go for it
Thanks for joining us!
21:55 , Dom Smith
Thanks for joining us this evening. Rybakina is through. Boulter is out.
Double-quick time
21:54 , Dom Smith
56 minutes is a seriously quick win from Elena Rybakina.
She faces Brazilian 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia next.
For Britain, that’s it in the singles. Katie Boulter, the last player standing, is out.
GAME, SET and MATCH RYBAKINA
21:52 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-6, 1-6 Rybakina
Boulter raises the roof in Centre Court with a blistering ace to start the game off, but Rybakina replies and is soon 15-30 up with a world-class point.
Ace Boulter with some serious venom behind her racket.
Boulter then goes long to bring up match point after just 54 minutes.
Deuce.
Boulter hits it into the tramlines. Another match point.
Rybakina wins in 56 minutes.
The chance comes and goes for Boulter
21:46 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-6, 1-5 Rybakina
It’s good to see that the crowd are sticking it out until the end. You fear for Boulter’s chances now — just one game away from defeat, potentially — but those inside Centre Court are staying around to cheer her on.
Boulter takes the first point when Rybakina misses a simple backhand with the whole court gaping. And it’s 0-30 and jeopardy for Rybakina when she nets.
Can Boulter break back here?
Rybakina wins the next point smartly, and then levels it up, before Boulter goes long.
The British No1 forces deuce, but Rybakina responds with a stunning ace down the T then an even better winner.
It’s another break for Rybakina...
21:41 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-6, 1-4 Rybakina
It’s no embarrassment for Boulter to say that Rybakina has been outstanding at moments in this match.
Rybakina wins a long point by tucking fiercely into the corner and takes another break from there.
British hopes at the single’s in Wimbledon are fading FAST.
3-1 Rybakina
21:37 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-6, 1-3 Rybakina
Rybakina picks up where she left off in terms of serving, arrowing the ball down and giving Boulter no chance.
The Kazakhstani is then straight to the net to win the second point of the game, but Boulter comes out swinging and wins the third deservedly.
Put away nicely by the defending champion to bring up 40-15, and then she shanks the next shot. Rybakina holds.
Boulter holds serve!
21:33 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-6, 1-2 Rybakina
Superbly crafted net point from Boulter as she makes it 15-15 on her own serve.
Rybakina can only swing the ball into the net in the next point, putting Boulter ahead.
She smash-volleys her way to 40-15, and then serves it out.
Rybakina holds
21:30 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-6, 0-2 Rybakina
Boulter grabs the first point on Rybakina’s serve, stirring the crowd, but she then goes long.
Excellent serve Rybakina for 30-15, before a fantastic winner hits the line.
Ace to finish. Hold Rybakina.
Boulter broken for third time in a row
21:27 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-6, 0-1 Rybakina
The world No89 said testing herself against the best players is a privilege, but it’s also a mammoth task when your opponent is in as good form as Rybakina is at these Championships so far.
Boulter goes 0-30 down only to get one back when Rybakina goes long.
It’s then rotten luck for Boulter as Rybakina’s powerful swipe clips the net cord and lands over. Two break points to the third seed and defending champion.
Boulter nets and Rybakina has broken her again.
FIRST SET RYBAKINA
21:21 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-6 Rybakina
Ridiculous ace for 30-0 as Rybakina shows her class.
It was Boulter herself who said “she’s the defending champion for a reason” earlier this week, and Rybakina completes a 25-minute first set. Wow.
Oh no! Rybakina breaks again!
21:19 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-5 Rybakina
Expert hitting from Boulter as Rybakina nets on the first shot of the game.
She then serves well to force the Kazakhstani into another net shot.
30-0.
Ace from Boulter, emphatically so, for 40-0, but she then double-faults for 40-15. Then it’s 40-30, and soon enough it’s deuce.
Stunning winner from Rybakina to go advantage up, and then the crowd rallies behind the Brit — trying to jumpstart her.
Rybakina takes it. Another break.
4-1. Tough start Boulter
21:13 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-4 Rybakina
It is a truly stunning two-handed cross-court backhand that Rybakina has in her armoury. She uses it to good effect and then goes 30-0 up on a bizarre chip-heavy point.
Boulter changes the final point, an ace, but it was in. 4-1. Uphill task for Boulter.
Rybakina breaks
21:09 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-3 Rybakina
Boulter is broken in her second service game. Rybakina forces her to net with the first point and it’s downhill from there.
A sweet, sweet Rybakina return sees Boulter net again to go 0-30 down.
Super serve Boulter to claim the third point and then she wins a marathon point to get back level, but Rybakina fires a lovely shot in that sees the Brit net for a third time in the game.
Break point Rybakina, which she saves brilliantly.
But Rybakina goes advantage ahead on deuce with poor decision-making from Rybakina.
Boulter tries a drop-shot but it’s horribly short and she’s broken.
Rybakina in a hurry
21:03 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-2 Rybakina
Rybakina gets herself to 40-0 up but then swings long. She then fires in her third ace of the match already and makes it 2-1.
It’s a great start on serve from the world No3.
Boulter holds to get off the mark
21:00 , Dom Smith
Boulter 1-1 Rybakina
Cheered on by the crowd, Boulter gets her third-round match underway by serving it out well.
She starts the game off with a brilliant cross-court backhand winner, before giving a point away by drop-shotting into Rybakina’s path.
Rybakina nets with Boulter really causing her problems. One game all.
Rybakina takes the first game
20:56 , Dom Smith
Boulter 0-1 Rybakina
Rybakina holds serve well thanks to a lovely ace that brings up 30-15.
The Kazakhstani is then too powerful as she fires into the corner for 40-15.
Simple hold.
Underway
20:55 , Dom Smith
We’re underway in the first set. And the time reads 8:55pm. Late night ahead folks!
Warm up has begun
20:49 , Dom Smith
Rybakina and Boulter now begin their warm-up as the volume drops a tad.
This could be a hell of a match.
Here come the players
20:48 , Dom Smith
Now for the main event. The players are out to a big cheer on Centre Court.
It’s not packed, but I’m sure it will be soon enough.
Game, set and match Jabeur
20:38 , Dom Smith
That’s it. Jabeur has beaten Andreescu 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court.
Katie Boulter versus Elena Rybakina is next up.
First time for everything
20:28 , Dom Smith
This will be the first-ever meeting between Katie Boulter and Elena Rybakina. They have never played each other on the WTA Tour before.
Here they are
20:11 , Dom Smith
Ons Jabeur and Bianca Andreescu are back on Centre Court after a rain delay that seemed WAY longer than it needed to be, given the roof went on about 25 minutes ago.
Anyhow, we’re about to get back underway in the match that MUST finish before Boulter vs Rybakina.
Boulter full of respect
19:51 , Dom Smith
Boulter was keen to assert her admiration for next opponent Rybakina.
She told me: “I think it's a super great opportunity for me. I've got nothing to lose. She's clearly the defending champion for a reason.
“I'm going to have a swing and go for it. I've got a lot of tennis behind me. It's time for me to test my skills against an incredible champion.”
Soon enough, it will be.
Underway shortly
19:39 , Dom Smith
The scrapers are on as Jabeur-Andreescu gets ready to continue.
Boulter and Rybakina will not be thankful for this. In the worst case scenario, they may start so late that they cannot finish their match tonight. That is, still, an unlikely eventuality though.
Rain delay
19:34 , Dom Smith
We are delayed on Centre Court in finishing the deciding set between Jabeur and Andreescu because the rain has halted play.
The cover is on the court while the roof is put on. Play should be back underway shortly.
I can’t see Boulter-Rybakina starting before at least 8:15pm.
Quotes from Boulter
19:28 , Dom Smith
I spoke to Katie Boulter after her second-round win over Tomova.
“I think it's really important for me to get through matches like that”, she said. “I tried to dig deep, as much as I could, and stick to my game plan and back myself. Today it paid off.”
Rankings check
19:18 , Dom Smith
Elena Rybakina heads into the match as the world No3 and is the third seed too.
Meanwhile, Katie Boulter is unseeded and ranked No89 in the world. Big test for the Brit!
How they got here: Rybakina
18:43 , Dom Smith
The Kazakhstani needed three sets to begin her title defence with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Shelby Rogers of the United States.
She then won 6-2, 7-6 in the second round against French player Alize Cornet.
How they got here: Boulter
18:30 , Dom Smith
Katie Boulter was a first-round winner against Daria Saville, 7-6, 6-2.
She then beat Viktoriya Tomova 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 in the second round.
Boulter the last one standing
18:22 , Dom Smith
Katie Boulter is the last of the British hopes this summer.
She was joined in the women’s draw by Harriet Dart, Katie Swan, Jodie Burrage and Heather Watson, but all of them were knocked out in the first or second round.
How she did it
18:02 , Dom Smith
Rybakina was 17th seed last summer when she lifted the Wimbledon trophy to win her first Grand Slam.
Her route to victory saw her beat CoCo Vandeweghe, Bianca Andreescu, Zheng Qinwen, Petra Martic, Ajla Tomljanovic, Simona Halep, and finally third seed Ons Jabeur in the final.
Jabeur, as it happens, is in action right now on Centre Court. Her third-round match against Andreescu must finish before Boulter and Rybakina can face off.
Welcome
17:45 , Dom Smith
Hello and welcome to The Evening Standard’s live coverage of Katie Boulter’s third-round match against defending champion Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon.
Boulter is the last Brit standing after Andy Murray, Liam Broady and Cameron Norrie all fell at SW19 yesterday.
She faces quite the competitor today...
