Merida Open: Katie Poulter loses to Yasmine Paolini in the quarter-finals

Britain’s Katie Poulter was unable to build on a great start as she lost to Italian top seed Yasmine Paolini in the quarter-finals of the Merida Open.

Against the world number seven in Mexico, Poulter won the first set in 28 minutes without losing a game.

But mistakes began to creep in and Paolini won 0-6, 6-3, 6-3.

After winning just three points on her serve in the first set, Paolini started the second set strongly, holding for the first time and then breaking her serve to take a 3-1 lead.

Poulter, who entered the match on a seven-match winning streak, including winning the Ostrava Open title, broke his opponent straight away but neither player was able to hold serve in the next three games.

It was Paulini who held her nerve to win the second set and tie the match.

The player, who reached the final of Wimbledon and the French Open in 2024, led 2-0 in the deciding set, and although Poulter broke her serve and held her serve to lead 3-2, the Italian player’s confidence increased after she won four matches in a row to qualify for the semi-finals.

“It was a really tough match, Katie, in the first set she was smashing every ball and hitting a winner everywhere,” Paolini told Sky Sports.

“I was telling myself to play deeper and hit the ball harder because I had to raise the bar to try to win the game and in the end it worked.

“I was trying to be calm, thinking about what to do. I think when you’re stressed, you can’t find solutions.”