Staff Reporter.
British number one Katie Boulter lost nine games in a row as she was beaten 2-6 6-0 7-5 by Magda Linette in the Cincinnati Open first round.
Boulter broke Linette twice in the opening set to take the lead but Poland’s world number 43 responded in impressive fashion.
Linette dominated the second set – dropping just eight points – to ‘bagel’ her British opponent in just 25 minutes.
The Pole then powered into a lead at the start of the third set, earning her fourth-straight break of serve to move 3-0 up.
But she was unable to save a third match point on her next service game as Linette booked her spot in the second round, where she will face either Wang Xinyu or Liudmila Samsonova.
Top seed Iga Swiatek headlines the women’s action on Wednesday as she takes on France’s Varvara Gracheva.
In the men’s draw, Wimbledon semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti and the USA’s Frances Tiafoe set up a mouth-watering second-round match-up after both came through their tournament openers.