Boulter beaten by Shnaider in Wuhan

British number one Katie Boulter loses to Diana Shnaider in the Wuhan Open first round. Katie Boulter is the 23rd woman to hold the British number one ranking British number one Katie Boulter is out of the Wuhan Open after a first-round defeat by Russian Diana Shnaider. After a competitive first set, Boulter lost her serve four times in the second as world number 13 Shnaider convincingly won 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 30 minutes. This has been a largely disappointing season for Boulter, who is ranked 54th in the world and has posted just two wins across the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Since suffering a first-round exit at Wimbledon in June, Boulter has won just three of the nine singles matches she has played on the WTA Tour. This one came at a difficult time for Boulter, whose grandfather, Brian, died last week. He was described by Boulter's brother James as "Katie's biggest supporter" and Boulter said in a social media tribute before competing in Wuhan that she had experienced "a tough week". Ticket rises and more TV packages – why is price of sport increasing?