Katie Boulter was pictured on Court One on Monday watching her boyfriend Alex de Minaur surge into the quarter-finals at Wimbledon after he beat Arthur Fils 2-6 4-6 6-4 3-6.
It was the first time in his career that the Australian has reached the quarter-finals at the All England Championships, with the 25-year-old having to fend off a late surge from his French opponent towards the end of the match.
It comes just days after Boulter crashed out of the tournament after she was beaten in the second round of the ladies’ singles by fellow Brit Harriet Dart, 6-4 1-6 6-7.
Boulter, 27, lapped up the atmosphere inside the arena, smiling while she watched her boyfriend play, though towards the end of the match appeared to cut a nervous figure.
De Minaur, who has won twice on the ATP Tour this season, started well against Fils, who is ranked No 34 on the men’s tour.
The Australian took both the first and second sets before Fils bounced back in the third exchange, drawing level with De Minaur at four games apiece before breaking him twice to win the set 6-4. The 25-year-old would bounce back in the fourth set, fending off a late surge from Fils to clinch the match.
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But concerns were raised at the end of the game, as De Minaur appeared to look like he had sustained an injury returning a forehand from his opponent during the final match point. BBC commentators speculated that he may have twisted his ankle as the Australian walked uneasily back to his chair.
He was pressed afterwards on whether he was OK, with the Australian replying: ”ll be alright. I’ll find a way. Thank you guys atmosphere was unbelievable, super proud of myself to be playing here at Wimbledon in front of you guys.’
When asked what pleased him most about his performance, an exhausted De Minaur joked: ‘Getting over the finish line. I definitely made it a lot harder than I probably should of.
‘Happy to get through. Great job mentally to stay with it, even though I couldn’t serve at the end. I couldn’t hold my serve, I just backed my return. But very happy with that and on to the next.’
De Minaur will now face a tough quarter-final clash against either Holger Rune or Novak Djokovic, but he admitted: ‘I’m just excited to be in the quarter-finals, have another battle and give myself another shot.’
Boulter has also enjoyed an excellent 2024 so far, having beaten 2021 Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu on her way to winning the Rothesay Open in June.
Prior to that, she also enjoyed success in San Diego in February, besting Marta Kostyuk to claim only her second title on the WTA Tour.
She played out a thrilling battle against British No 2 Harriet Dart on Thursday in what was a topsy-turvy tussle that lasted nearly three hours. Both players had predicted an absolute battle, and it certainly was. Boulter would take the advantage, breaking Dart’s third service game to clinch the first set 6-4.
De Minaur had rushed over from Court No 3 to support his girlfriend, after he had beaten Jaume Munar in the second round of the men’s singles. He was heard in the stands shouting: ‘Come on Katie!’ according to Journalist Stuart Ballard.
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Dart, though, would take a 4-0 lead in the second, before clinching the set 6-1, breaking her opponent three times but appeared to break into tears during the match. The final exchange went down to a tiebreak, with Boulter striking an erroneous forehand up into the air and hand Dart the match.
Dart, though, would take a 4-0 lead in the second, before clinching the set 6-1, breaking her opponent three times but appeared to break into tears during the match. The final exchange went down to a tiebreak, with Boulter striking an erroneous forehand up into the air and hand Dart the match.
After the match, a shattered Boulter revealed to reporters the six words of support her boyfriend had given to her following the defeat.
‘One match doesn’t define my career. That’s the first thing he [De Minaur] said to me when I got off the court,’ a Boulter said.
‘He knows what he’s talking about. It’s not his first rodeo. He’s been through it all before, and I’m lucky to have that support.’
‘She was better than me today,’ Boulter added on Dart. ‘I actually didn’t notice her crying. At 6-2 down, she’s got nothing to lose and she kind of just relaxed. I think I played into her strengths as well.
‘I wish her the very best. We’re Billie Jean King Cup team-mates. We’ve been through this long journey together. I hope she goes far in this tournament.
‘These are the kind of losses that sting. But I’m going to use this tough moment to really spur me on. This time next year, I’m going to be a better player.’
Boulter and De Minaur have been dating have been dating since 2020, with their relationship starting over a 6am cup of coffee. They recently celebrated their fourth anniversary and are the power couple of world tennis.
The pair recently shared a laugh together after De Minaur had joked Boulter had given him a hard time because he missed her victory at the Rothesay Open.
‘Yeah, she’s given a little bit of slack, but I think she kind of understands that, you know, maybe I was on a little bit of a time constraint and did my very best, but yeah, it was an unbelievable week for both of us and can’t believe that it’s the second time it has happened this year,’ he told Sky Sports Tennis.
