Boulter retires with illness in Birmingham

British number 1 Katie Boulter retired from her first information lucifer against Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina pinch unwellness astatine nan Birmingham Classic.

The 27-year-old was playing 2 days aft retaining her Nottingham Open title, having coming backmost from a group down to hit Karolina Pliskova conscionable hours aft completing a three-set triumph complete Emma Raducanu.

Boulter received a aesculapian timeout successful nan first group and decided she could not proceed aft losing nan opener 6-3 to Kalinina.

She later confirmed she was "fine" and said she had been motivated to still compete successful Birmingham successful an effort to unafraid a seeding astatine Wimbledon.

"Obviously a agelong 10 days. I wanted to travel up present anyway, I wanted to try, but I'm conscionable not rather fresh yet," said Boulter, who plans to play astatine Eastbourne adjacent week.

"I was rather sick during Nottingham but I conscionable tried to enactment successful nan tourney arsenic agelong arsenic I perchance could, arsenic bad arsenic I was feeling.

"From my 3rd lucifer I was really struggling. But I conscionable tried to get done it and decorativeness nan week. It's astir apt a small spot of a operation of everything."

Boulter is 31st successful nan world rankings, pinch only nan apical 32 guaranteed to beryllium seeded astatine Grand Slams, but she added it was "not nan beryllium each and extremity all" should she gaffe from those positions.

Earlier, Caroline Wozniacki's first lucifer connected a writer tribunal successful 5 years ended successful conclusion by Elise Mertens.

Former world number 1 Wozniacki, who won nan Australian Open successful 2018, mislaid 6-4 6-1 to Belgian 5th seed Mertens.

Denmark's Wozniacki, 33, returned to tennis past year, 3 and a half years aft she retired astatine nan 2020 Australian Open.

Britain's Harriet Dart precocious to nan 2nd information pinch a 6-3 6-3 triumph complete Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima.

But Heather Watson suffered a 3-6 6-4 7-5 nonaccomplishment to eighth seed Marie Bouzkova successful a tussle lasting 2 hours and 53 minutes.

Watson took a aesculapian timeout aft nan 2nd group and led 5-2 successful nan decider earlier Bouzkova deed back.

"I americium ace tired but I deliberation it was a awesome match. What a measurement to commencement nan grass-court season," said Bouzkova.

Briton Amelia Rajecki was beaten 7-5 6-3 by Russian Diana Shnaider successful her first WTA main tie match.

Wozniacki, who made her return to Grand Slam action astatine nan 2023 US Open, has requested a wildcard from Wimbledon successful nan dream of competing astatine nan All England Club for nan first clip since 2019.

"We'll spot what happens, I'm hoping for nan best," Wozniacki said earlier her first-round exit successful Birmingham.

"I person truthful galore typical memories. I won inferior Wimbledon backmost successful 2005, truthful it's a agelong clip ago.

"There's thing truthful typical astir playing connected Wimbledon's Centre Court that you can't replicate anyplace else."

Wozniacki is besides group to look astatine her 4th Olympic Games successful Paris this summer.

In Berlin, four-time awesome victor Naomi Osaka mislaid 6-4 3-6 6-3 to sixth seed Zheng Qinwen.

China's Zheng, 21, deed a season-leading 23 aces to flooded Osaka successful 3 sets.

Osaka, whose quality astatine this year's Australian Open was her first Slam since nan 2022 US Open, reached nan quarter-finals astatine her first grass-court tourney of nan twelvemonth successful 's-Hertogenbosch past week.

Later, Belarus' two-time awesome victor Victoria Azarenka hit Greek world number 9 Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-2.

Former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber mislaid 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-4 to Czech teen Linda Noskova.