Katie Boulter continued her remarkable run at the Hong Kong Open, securing a spot in the semi-finals by defeating Russia's Anastasia Zakharova in straight sets. Boulter managed to edge out a closely contested first set against a highly motivated opponent, who was performing well above her world ranking of No 113. The British No 1 then dominated the second set, winning 6-4, 6-0. She will now face Yuan Yue in the semi-finals, after the tournament's sixth seed defeated Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-3.

Zakharova matched Boulter, the No 2 seed in Hong Kong, for much of the opening set, but the Briton found another gear when it mattered most. After securing a crucial service hold with an ace to lead 5-4, Boulter broke Zakharova's serve to take the set 6-4, finishing it off when Zakharova hit a forehand into the net.

Boulter faced early pressure in the second set but held her serve and then executed a brilliant volley on break point to take a 2-0 lead, seizing control of the match. A second break, courtesy of a stunning cross-court forehand, saw Boulter surge to a 4-0 lead. After another service hold, she broke Zakharova for the third time to secure victory in an hour and 16 minutes.

The win propels Boulter to a career-high 27th in the provisional WTA rankings. Reflecting on her slow start in the first set, Boulter said, "I think I was on another planet. She [Zakharova] was playing some really good tennis. At 5-4, I started to pick myself up a bit more and played some pretty good stuff after that."

Boulter previously faced China's Yue in the first round of the Australian Open in January, winning 7-5, 7-6 (1). "That was an absolute battle, I thought we played a really good match and there wasn't much in it," Boulter told Sky Sports. "Tomorrow's going to be really tough, I've watched a lot of her matches this week, and I'm sure she's been watching my games. It's the end of the year, I'm still smiling and still having fun."

In other quarter-final matches, No 1 seed Diana Shnaider will face Suzan Lemens, while third seed Leylah Fernandez takes on Bernarda Pera.

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