🇬🇧 Katie Boulter vs 🇲🇽 Renata Zarazúa

🇬🇧 Katie Boulter vs 🇲🇽 Renata Zarazúa – WTA Montreal R1 Preview

🎾 Monday, July 28 · WTA 1000 Montreal · Outdoor Hard

🧠 Form & Context

Katie Boulter 🇬🇧

• 🎯 Solid baseline player: 4–5 on hard in 2025, with best results including R3 in Toronto 2024 and QF in Nottingham
• 🔄 Mixed swing: Typically wins opening rounds, but was soundly beaten by Sakkari in Washington (6–3, 6–4)
• 📍 Montreal history: No main-draw wins here yet

Renata Zarazúa 🇲🇽

• 📍 Debuting in Montreal at age 27, riding her career-best form following a W100 final in Madrid earlier this year
• 🔻 Main-draw struggles: 4–12 WTA record in 2025, including 1–9 since the Australian Open
• ⬆️ ITF consistency: Five finals in the last year at W75–W125K level, but limited success translating to tour-level matches

🔍 Match Breakdown

Serve & Return: Boulter’s height (182 cm) and reliable kick serve should allow her to dominate service games. Zarazúa (160 cm) will have difficulty creating pressure without free points.

Baseline Exchanges: Boulter's flat strokes will pin Zarazúa deep. The Mexican player must use variation—drop shots, angles, slices—to shift momentum and avoid being overrun.

Experience & Nerves: Boulter has WTA-level composure and court time. Zarazúa’s tour-level inexperience and record suggest she may struggle to handle scoreboard pressure.

🔮 Prediction

Boulter’s power, presence, and recent experience in big events should see her through comfortably. Expect Zarazúa to battle hard, but the gap in weapons and match sharpness is significant.

🧩 Pick: Katie Boulter def. Renata Zarazúa 6–3, 6–2