Mai Hontama vs Katie Boulter Preview & Prediction | 2026 China Open | First Round

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Katie Boulter begins her China Open campaign against Mai Hontama. 

Ranking points: WTA 1000

Start date/time: 30 September 2026 at 7:45 am

Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports Tennis / USA – Tennis Channel

How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / USA – Tennis Channel

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Mai Hontama vs Katie Boulter ticket information

Mai Hontama vs Katie Boulter prediction

Mai Hontama is currently ranked 177 in the world rankings. Her strongest recent run came at the WTA 125 event in Vancouver, where she beat Kayla Day, Jiajing Lu and Himeno Sakatsume to reach the semi-finals before a loss to Maddison Inglis. She also qualified for the Prague Open back in July and defeated Diane Parry in the opening round. Hontama has already won twice in Beijing qualifying, coming from a set down to beat Jodie Burrage in the final stage.

Katie Boulter was in Billie Jean King Cup action last time out, losing to Linda Noskova in straight sets as Great Britain were beaten by the Czech Republic. The British number one lost to another Czech, Karolina Muchova, in the second-round of the US Open right at the start of the month. There have been highlights for Boulter this season, such as her title run in Ostrava. However, her form has dropped off considerably since her win over newly crowned world number one Elena Rybakina at Queen’s Club.

Despite her troubles, Boulter is still competitive on the circuit, and she will be expected to come through this match.

Mai Hontama vs Katie Boulter tip: Katie Boulter to win