By Chalien Dantes

British No. 3 Katie Boulter’s struggles on the court continued as she suffered a quick, straight-sets defeat to world No. 44 Eva Lys in the first round of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

 The 29-year-old, who battled through two qualifying rounds, couldn’t find her rhythm against the 23-year-old German, falling 6-2, 6-1 in just over an hour.

With Emma Raducanu sidelined by illness and out of the tournament, Boulter was the lone British player in the main draw, but her performance was far from convincing. She managed to win only half of her first serve points and was broken five times, a tough day at the office for the Briton.

This loss adds to a rough patch that’s seen Boulter struggle to move past the early stages of tournaments since June’s Nottingham Open. Just days earlier, she had also been knocked out in straight sets in the Japan Open, signalling a challenging period for the former world No. 29.