KATIE BOULTER was unable to give herself the perfect birthday present today as her bid for an Olympic medal alongside Heather Watson ended with a quarter-final loss to Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.

It always looked an uphill task against the third seeds, who reached the French Open final earlier this summer, and Boulter and Watson were decisively second best in a 6-3 6-1 defeat.

Boulter, who turned 28 today, and Watson had exceeded expectations to make it this far, beating two quality pairs, but this was another step up.

They made a dreadful start with Boulter double-faulting twice in her opening service game, and, although they immediately broke back, Watson then dropped her serve as well.

Errani is now 37 and a five-time grand slam champion in doubles but she also reached the French Open singles final back in 2012, losing to Maria Sharapova.

Her prowess at the net and French Open and Wimbledon finalist Paolini’s strength from the back make them a potent combination, and Boulter and Watson simply could not find a foothold.

Boulter dropped serve again at the start of the second set and there was no way back, the Italians booking their spot in the last four in just 62 minutes.