Katie Boulter wins again at Wimbledon!

Leicestershire tennis player Katie Boulter delighted Wimbledon's Centre Court with a stunning fightback to beat 2021 runner-up Karolina Pliskova.

After a 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 win, Boulter fought back tears when revealing her gran Jill died two days ago.

"I'm going to get so emotional. I'd like to dedicate it to her," she said after securing her best Grand Slam run.

Boulter, once the emerging and exciting talent in the British women's game, is trying to rebuild her career after it was heavily interrupted by injury problems in recent years.

The British number three reached a career-high 82nd in the world rankings and was on an upward trajectory before her injury problems began in early 2019.

Boulter, now ranked 118th, proved she still has the talent to beat the best when she earned the biggest win of her career against world number seven Pliskova in Eastbourne last week.

Now the 25-year-old has eclipsed that with another victory over the Czech former world number one, this time on the one of the greatest stages in the sport and against a backdrop of personal grief.

Boulter struggled for words in the on-court interview immediately after she sealed victory, with an ecstatic crowd initially thinking it was solely down to the magnitude of her achievement.

When asked later about her gran, Boulter said: "Her favourite tournament was Wimbledon. That's why it's a special one for me. She'd watch every single match that was on the TV.

"It's been a tough few days for sure. I've tried to kind of get my emotions out and deal with the situation, try and keep my head on the tennis.

"I was lucky because my grandpa managed to come down from Leicester, and so we could keep him company and keep supporting him at the same time."

When Boulter won the second set, the family members supporting from her box - which included her mother Sue, brother James and grandfather - shared emotional and jubilant hugs.

It was a similar scene when Boulter clinched a memorable win with a net volley.

Shaking both fists in the air, Boulter smiled as she looked towards her family and moments later revealed why the celebrations meant so much.

On Saturday, she will aim to reach the last 16 when she faces France's Harmony Tan.

Tan, making her Wimbledon main-draw debut this year, beat American great Serena Williams in the first round and backed up that memorable win with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo.

"It's a dream come true for me and if I can have you behind me for those I can probably go a long way," Boulter, who lost at the same stage on the 15,000-capacity show court last year, told the Centre Court crowd.

Source and Image: BBC Sport