The indoor conditions initially seemed to suit Pliskova, and she began to find rhythm on her batting and foundations, chopping down five games in a row. However, after defeats to Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray on Wednesday, Boulter finally got the home crowd excited by coming off a set and winning 3-6 7-6 (4) 6-4.
Asked about the closed roof, Boulter said afterwards: “It was definitely a change. I did not know until maybe five minutes before I was on the track. It was definitely relevant. It was nice to meet in my first game under the roof, never seen before, never played under it.
“It took for sure a few minutes to get used to. The first few service games I think of maybe both of us were a little dull. I just got used to my ball throwing.
“It was nice to play another game. Different conditions. Of course the courts are different than last week, they are much slower. But, yes, it was a bit of a surprise to me because I did not really “I do not know. about the weather too. Of course it is not my job to make that call. In the end, it is the people who set the tournament in motion.”
In addition to the long rain delay for Nadal, BBC viewers faced further frustrations when the footage called back to his match at the critical point that the Brit Jack Draper was set up against Alex de Minaur.