Boulter spent a total of almost four hours on court on Friday, but her efficient 67-minute 6-1 6-3 victory over Romania’s Cristian earlier in the day undoubtedly helped her maintain an excellent level throughout her enthralling tussle with top seed Rybakina.
Rybakina, meanwhile, had to battle back from a set down to defeat defending champion Tatjana Maria 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-0 in a lengthy first match of the day.
Boulter appeared the fresher of the two players as she rose to the occasion in front of home support, saving nine break points across the first set – including six in the sixth game alone.
The 29-year-old earned reward for her tenacity when she capitalised on a first opening on Rybakina’s serve to break for a 6-5 lead, before serving out the set.
Boulter applied further pressure at the start of set two, creating break points in Rybakina’s first two service games – but it was the Kazakh who struck first for a 3-1 lead, before securing a decider on her opponent’s serve.
That did not appear to affect Boulter’s confidence as she held to love with a stunning sliced drop shot early in the final set, and saved a break point in her next two service games to follow Rybakina to 4-4.
It was then that Boulter seized her moment, clinching a second break opportunity in the ninth game before holding her nerve to serve out a memorable win.
“I’m standing here a winner because I trusted my game, I trusted my team. I’m so proud of today,” Boulter added.
“My first semi-final here, it’s a really special one. I’m wanting more so I’m going to keep pushing and get myself ready for tomorrow.”
