Watson’s medal dream over after quarter-final defeat in Paris
Heather Watson’s dream of winning an Olympic medal alongside Katie Boulter ended yesterday with a quarter-final loss to Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in Paris.
It always looked an uphill task against the third seeds, who reached the French Open final earlier this summer, and the Great Britain duo were decisively second best in a 6-3, 6-1 defeat.
Watson and Boulter, who turned 28 yesterday, had exceeded expectations to make it this far, beating two quality pairs, but this was another step up.
They made a dreadful start, Boulter double-faulting twice in her opening service game, and, although they immediately broke back, Watson then dropped her serve as well.
Errani, 37, is a five-time grand slam champion in doubles and also reached the French Open singles final back in 2012.
Her prowess at the net and French Open and Wimbledon finalist Paolini’s strength from the back make them a potent combination, and the GB pair simply could not find a foothold.
Boulter dropped serve again at the start of the second set and there was no way back, the Italians booking their spot in the last four in just 62 minutes.
‘They don’t bloody miss,’ said Watson.
‘Barely any unforced errors but they’re playing such aggressive tennis at the same time, and just such contrasting style with Errani hitting the slow, loopy balls and Paolini hitting super hard and flat. It’s really tricky to play them, they’re a really great team.’
For reaching the last eight, which is the equivalent to making a final in sports like swimming, the GB pair will receive an Olympic diploma as a memento.
