Katie Boulter’s time at Queen’s came to an end after a three-set tussle saw her lose 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to the fifth seed Diana Shnaider.
As in her opening round, Boulter was cheered on by her fiance Alex de Minaur, the world No10 turning up to take in the second set after missing out on the first.
But unlike her first-round match-up, the British No1 was unable to harness his support to keep afloat in the draw – with her hopes of being seeded at Wimbledon at the end of the month now under fire.
There is no dishonour in losing to the world No12, especially not after claiming the first set in electric style at The Queen’s Club, but Boulter will no doubt be disappointed that she was not able to string together a longer run in front of the home crowd.
Boulter and Shnaider have previously met once before, with Shnaider handing Boulter a straight-sets rout last autumn at the Hong Kong Open, and with the number-five seed having despatched first-round opponent Magdalena Frech in similarly no-nonsense fashion, few might have predicted a different scoreline.
But the spectators in the stands played their role in the first set beautifully, cheering the uneven Boulter serve and forcing the British No1 to remember where she was.
Katie Boulter’s time at The Queen’s Club came to an end as she lost in a gritty three-set clash
The 28-year-old did well to steal a set off her doughty Russian opponent Diana Shnaider
The 21-year-old had previously beaten the older player at the Hong Kong Open last year
Boulter’s composure in the face of elements of her game breaking down was particularly admirable, with her serve a primary issue as the first set turned into the second on Thursday afternoon. Often unhappy with the toss, as if battling with a stronger wind, Boulter would apologise to her opponent and restart her movement.
At the start of the second set, it was especially vulnerable, and Shnaider pounced to claim the opening three games. But as rain began to fall gently on west London, Boulter held her nerve and pulled off a crucial hold of her serve to stop the rot.
However, where some aspects of her game faltered, others shone, with Boulter magicking up a string of unreturnable dropshots that Shnaider was unable to get a handle on.
Play was briefly paused for the first rain delay this week on the Andy Murray Arena at a distinctly inopportune moment for Boulter, love-30 down in the sixth game of the second set.
With her opponent off-balanced, Shnaider was able to claim yet another break of serve when they returned. But rather than roll over at 5-1, the home favourite countered with a lightning-quick break-back.
A double-fault to bring up 30-all, 5-2 did little to extinguish the jangling nerves of De Minaur and the Boulter box, but through gritted teeth, Boulter served up an ace and forced the Russian star to take on the second set on her racquet once again.
Take it she did, forcing the decider – but with the same grit she showed against her first-round opponent Ajla Tomljanovic, Boulter flashed back from love-40 to claim a vital opening hold with a roar of triumph.
But battling began to take its toll, as Boulter’s skill on grass was gradually eroded by her opponent’s bombastic baseline hitting. After winning the first break for 2-1, there was little that Boulter could do but what her opponent’s patient march to the finish line.
After falling behind, Shnaider played a patient game and eventually out hit her uneven-serving opponent on the grass
Boulter will now watch Emma Raducanu’s match with interest as she prepares to wave goodbye to No1 status
Boulter will have more opportunities for fine-tuning her Wimbledon preparations in the coming weeks, defending her title at Nottingham and playing Eastbourne the week before the Championships.
But the 28-year-old could yet suffer a bigger blow, with her British No1 status under threat.
Boulter will watch the third match at the tournament on Thursday afternoon with baited breath – if her doubles partner Emma Raducanu, who is currently above Boulter in the live rankings, can bypass Rebecca Sramkova, the honour will be safely hers again.
