Katie Boulter reveals true feelings on Harriet Dart ahead of all-British clash

Katie Boulter has the utmost respect for Harriet Dart and won't be taking their second-round match at Wimbledon lightly despite only losing once in seven meetings with her compatriot.

Dart booked her spot in the second round of Wimbledon earlier in the day with a strong win over qualifier Zhouxuan Bai.

The British No 2 dropped just four games as she dominated from start to finish with the wni being wrapped up in just one hour and 18 minutes. Boulter had a much more difficult test despite being seeded for the first time at Wimbledon.

Katie Boulter will not take Harriet Dart lightly in the next round BBC She was given a tricky draw against Tatjana Maria, who reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon two years ago. And the experienced German had her opponent on the backfoot immediately as Boulter found herself 3-0 down. But the No 32 seed managed to find her form when it mattered most to force a tiebreak before sealing the first set.

It wasn't any easier in the second set with Maria pushing Boulter all the way. But the 36-year-old lost her serve to hand Boulter a hard-fought win, setting up an all-British second-round clash with Dart. It will be the third time the British duo have played each other this year with Boulter winning both contests. The last meeting at Nottingham was a close match though and Boulter knows she's in for a difficult challenge at Wimbledon.

"Playing a Brit in the UK on the grass is never an easy draw," she said. "I'm expecting an absolute battle. "We've played quite a few times before so I'll be looking at those and thinking about what I'm gonna do going into it. "But honestly for me, it's about playing the tennis ball. It's not about playing the person.

Katie Boulter had to dig deep to beat Tatjana Maria REUTERS "We're obviously Billie Jean King Cup mates on the court so I've got to try and forget that and just focus on the tennis." She later added: "I think we both know each other's games inside-out, back-to-front at this point. We've played so many matches. "But I do have to draw on the last things that I have played with her and use that to my advantage in the next round. "I think it's going to be extremely tough. I have a lot of respect for her on this surface. LATEST SPORT NEWS: Andy Murray withdraws from Wimbledon as tournament officials forced into drastic change

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