Boulter relief at Beijing win after 'tough months'

Katie Boulter said she was happy to put "a tough couple of months" behind her by beating Hailey Baptiste in the China Open.

The British number two defeated the American 7-5 5-7 6-4 to progress to the second round in Beijing.

The 29-year-old was knocked out of the second round of Wimbledon by lucky loser Solana Sierra then lost in the first round of the US Open to Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk.

She let a double break lead slip in the final set against Baptiste but regrouped to serve out for victory.

"I've had a tough couple of months," Boulter said.

"I'm really pleased with how I'm now putting myself out there and fighting for every point.

"She [Baptiste] was playing such disruptive tennis but I stayed mentally strong and found a way to get through it. I did well to get through that match."

Boulter will now face a tough task against Wimbledon and US Open runner-up Amanda Anisimova.

She has had a mixed year but, after tweaking her serve, registered an impressive victory over Japan's Moyuka Uchijima to help Great Britain reach the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals.

She lost her next singles match 3-6 6-4 6-2 to world number seven Jessica Pegula as Britain were beaten 2-0 by the United States.

Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic confirmed he will play in October's Shanghai Masters - his first appearance since his US Open semi-final defeat.

The Serb has repeatedly said he will slim down his calendar to protect his body in the final years of his career.

The 38-year-old reached the final in Shanghai last year but lost to Jannik Sinner, who was then the world number one.

Sinner and current world number one Carlos Alcaraz both return to ATP Tour action in Beijing and Tokyo respectively this week.