Katie Boulter was pictured on Court One on Monday watching her boyfriend Alex de Minaur face off for a spot in the quarter-finals of the men’s singles at Wimbledon against Arthur Fils.
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.
Should De Minaur surpass Fils, it will be the first time in the Australian tennis star’s career that he has reached the quarter-finals at the All England Championship.
Boulter lapped up the atmosphere inside the arena, smiling while she watched her boyfriend play, though at times 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 the Australian at four games apiece before breaking him twice to win the set 6-4.
Boulter, 27, 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
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.
‘She was better than me today,’ admitted Boulter. ‘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.’
More to follow…