Katie Boulter failed to capitalize on a stunning start, losing to top seed Jasmine Paolini 0-6 6-3 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Merida Open.

The British No.2 defeated the World No.7 in the first set, but despite remaining competitive throughout, he made too many errors on serve, forcing Mexico into an upset.

The 29-year-old Bolt won the first set in just 28 minutes. Paolini only scored 3 points in the service game and did not score the winning point until he was 40-0 behind 0-5.

Former French Open and Wimbledon finalist Paolini held serve for the first time at the beginning of the second set. As Bolt failed to cash in on a break point in the third game, Paolini broke to take a 3-1 lead and the situation began to reverse.

Bolt immediately broke serve to regain a victory, but there were breaks in the next three games until Paolini finally held serve to win the second set and even the score.

Paolini led 2-0 in the deciding set. Although Bolt broke and held serve to lead 3-2, the Italian was confident and advanced to the semi-finals in four consecutive games.

Paolini said in an interview on the sidelines sky sports: “It was a really tough match – Katie, she smashed every ball in the first set and hit winners everywhere.

“I told myself to hit the ball deeper on the court and hit the ball harder because I had to improve to win the match, and it finally worked out.

“I tried to stay calm and think about what I had to do. I think when you’re nervous, you can’t find solutions.”

Indian Wells Wild Card

Bianca Andreescu and Sloane Stephens will join seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams as former Grand Slam champions receive wild cards into the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Andreescu, who won Indian Wells in 2019 as an 18-year-old and the U.S. Open later that year, is returning to Indian Wells for the first time since 2023.

The Canadian moved back to No. 164 after winning two ITF World Tennis Tour titles this year.

Gael Monfils, 39, received a wild card into the men’s singles draw in what will be his final appearance in the Coachella Valley.

The Frenchman will be joined by rising Spanish player Rafael Jordal and Columbia University standout Michael Cheng, who defeated Sebastian Korda at this year’s Australian Open.

The main draw of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open will begin on Wednesday, March 4, and the qualifying rounds will begin on Sunday, March 1.

The singles competition will feature 96 players, including the top 10 players in the world.

Medvedev reaches Dubai final against Greek circuit

Daniil Medvedev reaches Dubai Tennis Championships final and will face unseeded Talon Grikspoor As he attempted to achieve something that had eluded him throughout his illustrious career – winning the same race twice.

Former world number one Medvedev beat top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4 6-2 in an 83-minute semi-final to set up a title fight that could see him claim a second Dubai title following his victory in 2023.

The third seed performed well in Dubai, defeating Shang Juncheng, Stan Wawrinka, Jenson Brooksby and Auger-Aliassime in straight sets.

“It was an amazing four games, probably getting better and better every game, and today was the best performance,” Medvedev said.

“If I can perform better tomorrow I’ll have a chance to win and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

Grikspur has won three ATP 250 titles in his career and will be looking to add a first ATP 500 trophy to his collection when he faces Medvedev.

Watch ATP and WTA Tour matches live on Sky Sports or Live with NOW and sky sports appthis year Sky Sports customers can watch more than 50% of live sports events for free. Learn more here.