'I was completely bricking it' - Britain's Katie Boulter shocks Paula Badosa on Centre Court in Wimbledon first round
Published 30/06/2025 at 22:55 GMT+1
A positive opening day for Britain's stars at Wimbledon ended with a memorable win for Katie Boulter over ninth seed Paula Badosa on Centre Court. Boulter, with the backing of her home support, raced ahead and won the first set but admitted she was "bricking it" after a fightback from Badosa. Boulter, who joined Emma Raducanu in reaching the second round, will next face Solana Sierra.
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Video credit: SNTV
Katie Boulter admitted she was "completely bricking it" in her victory over Paula Badosa at Wimbledon.
British No. 2 Boulter won 6-2 3-6 6-4 against ninth seed Badosa on Centre Court, with the backing of the vocal home spectators.
And she revealed in her on-court interview that she feared letting her lead slip after taking the first set.
"I didn't have any nerve there, I was completely bricking it," Boulter said.
"I've played a lot of matches recently where I've started out great and then kind of let it slip.
"I played a game like that at Queen's which hurt me a lot so I just tried to compete, fight and hope for the best today. I had to hope that she missed and keep pushing myself to be positive.
"I had to keep going after the ball and hoping that it would happen - and today it actually did happen, so I'm thrilled."
Boulter, who took just 31 minutes to win the first set after a purposeful start, compared the victory to one of her most memorable on Centre Court.
"I think I got one of my first victories against a top 10 player on this court against Olga Puchkova," she said. "The moment that I stepped out here, it just reminded me of that from the first ball.
"I just felt like I had some really good juju going on there and I played some really good stuff. I'm happy to be through to the next round."
After a slow start, Spain's Badosa appeared to discover her rhythm in the second set, breaking Boulter's serve after three double faults from the Briton and levelling the match.
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And it appeared the momentum might have shifted when Boulter fell a break down in the deciding set. But she quickly broke back and won the match-winning game on Badosa's serve.
Having secured an unexpected victory, Boulter said it was a "dream" to step on Centre Court again.
"This court is the epitome of what every British child dreams about playing on and actually winning on," she added.
"It's a dream come true every time I get to step out here. I was so excited, I felt like a little girl again.
"I'm super happy to be through and I'm glad I got the win today."
Boulter will play Argentina's Solana Sierra in the second round on Wednesday.
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