KATIE BOULTER CONSOLED BY BOYFRIEND ALEX DE MINAUR AFTER DEFEAT BY TEARFUL HARRIET DART

Katie Boulter had a shoulder to cry on after losing a dramatic tie-break to her friend Harriet Dart at Wimbledon.

Boulter lost 4-6 6-1 7-6 in a gripping second-round encounter on Court One in what was a repeat of the Nottingham Open final from last month. The British No.1 was the heavy favourite against the world No.100 but made 75 unforced errors in a difficult afternoon on the biggest stage.

Dart grew into the contest and came from 6-2 down in the tie-break to win it 10-8. As well as being the underdog with a poor head-to-head record against Boulter, Dart’s win was all the more remarkable because she was seen crying into her towel during the changeover in the tie-break.

"I wear the emotions on my sleeve, so you see everything, how I'm thinking," Dart said post-match. The 27-year-old frequently showed her frustrations to her mum in her box, while also geeing up the crowd when she won points.

Asked if Dart’s tears had distracted her, Boulter said: “I mean, I don't know. I actually didn't notice. I try not to look too much.” Boulter at least had her boyfriend Alex De Minaur to console her, with the Australian having hot-footed it over from Court Three after beating Jaume Munar in straight sets to reach the third round.

Asked about having her partner here with her, Boulter said: “Look, one match doesn't define my career. That's the first thing he said to me when I got off the court.

"He knows what he's talking about. It's not his first rodeo. He's been through it all before. I'm lucky to have that support.”

De Minaur, the No.9 seed, was also asked about his role in picking Boulter up. “It's what happens in tennis, right? You have your good days, you have your bad days, and everything in between,” he said.

“At the end of the day, it's going to be tough. Losing sucks. That's the reality of it. It doesn't matter whether you lose in the first round, in the final, or anything in between, it's never easy.

“But I think the most important thing for her is that this match doesn't define her in any way, shape, or form. Yeah, so proud of what she's done, what she's accomplished this whole grass court season. She's just going to keep on kicking on.”

He added: “Ultimately, whether it's one way or the other, it's just being there for each other, right? So whatever it is she needs today, I'll be there for her. Ultimately, it's just another tennis match, right? That's what we've got to try and remind ourselves of. It's not easy by any means, but we try our best to kind of move on.”

2024-07-04T17:02:51Z dg43tfdfdgfd