British number one Katie Boulter reached her fifth WTA Tour quarter-final of the season by sweeping Japan’s Kyoka Okamura in Tokyo.
The 29-year-old won 6-1 6-2 against 271st-ranked Okamura, who lost in qualifying but was placed in the main draw as a lucky loser.
Boulter is ranked 33rd in the world after the most successful season of her career and the gap between the two men showed.
Possessing more power in the backfield and showing glimpses of his talent, Boulter’s greater consistency was too much for Okamura to handle.
“I feel like I’m playing good tennis and trying to get through these matches,” Boulter said.
Boulter is looking to end a season in which she won two WTA titles in style and reached her first quarter-final since Eastbourne in June.
The clinical victory over Okamura sets up an intriguing clash with Canadian wildcard Bianca Andreescu.
Andreescu, 24, won the 2019 US Open as a teenager but has since been plagued by injury problems.
“Bianca is an incredible fighter, she won a Grand Slam and plays good tennis,” said Boulter, who has no ranking points to defend and could return to the top 30 this week.
“It’s a free end of year for me and I have nothing to lose.”
Boulter is seeded ninth at the WTA 500 event in the Japanese capital, with China’s Zheng Qinwen, Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, Diana Shnaider and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez remaining in the draw as the top-ranked players.
