Katie Boulter has bounced back from a streak of disappointing performances in recent WTA Tour events to secure a place in the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open, following her decisive 6-2, 6-1 victory against Bianca Andreescu on Friday.

The 28-year-old athlete from Britain faced early exits in her previous tournaments, including a first-round loss in Wuhan and falling to Coco Gauff in the China Open’s second round. However, Boulter showcased her skillful play against former U.S. Open champion Andreescu, who famously triumphed over Serena Williams in the 2019 final, during the first quarterfinal match in Tokyo.

Looking ahead, Boulter is set to clash with another Grand Slam titleholder in the semifinals, as she will go up against Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open winner. Kenin earned her semifinal spot after defeating fifth-seeded Daria Kasatkina with a score of 6-3, 6-4.

In another quarterfinal match scheduled for later, the top seed and 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen was expected to face off against eighth-seeded Leylah Fernandez, while Diana Shnaider took on Sayaka Ishii in the remaining quarterfinal.

Zheng, who made waves in 2022 by reaching the finals in Tokyo at just 19 years old—where she lost to Liudmila Samsonova—has enjoyed success in the two years since, including her recent win at the Wuhan finals that guaranteed her spot in the upcoming WTA Finals set to take place in Riyadh next month.