British Wimbledon hopeful Katie Boulter fires through first match
British Wimbledon hopeful Katie Boulter has fired through her first match to the second round of the tennis tournament, being cheered on by her Australian tennis pro boyfriend Alex De Minaur.
Boulter beat former semi-finalist Tatjana Maria in straight sets, setting up all-British second-round tie with Harriet Dart.
The 27-year-old, seeded for the first time at the Championships, was 4-1 down inside quarter of an hour on Court Three, but showed trademark gutsiness to fight back and edge the opener on a tie-break.
She recovered quickly from a shaky start to claim victory over the two hours and seven minutes.
The British No 1 headed into the competition on the heels of claiming a second grass court title after successfully defending her Nottingham Open title two weeks ago. Her boyfriend similarly won on grass that weekend in the Libema Open.
Katie Boulter has fired through her first match to the second round of the tennis tournament
Boulter beat former semi-finalist Tatjana Maria in straight sets, setting her up for a second-round match against Harriet Dart
Boulter was cheered on by her Australian tennis pro boyfriend Alex De Minaur who watched from the sidelines
As Boulter stepped on to court this afternoon, she showed off her custom Wimbledon-themed nails, painted with little strawberries and stripes of the iconic tournament's purple and white colours.
Seeded for the first time at the competition, ahead of Tuesday's tie, the world No 32 stressed that she was more than comfortable with the added pressure in SW19 this year.
'I'm sure it's going to get more and more hectic as it goes along, it always does,' Boulter said over the weekend. But it's awesome. It's really nice to be a part of such an incredible, historic tournament that I've watched since I was a kid.
'To then become someone that can be leading that pack, it helps me, I think it pushes me on. Knowing there's going to be a lot of people out there cheering for me, it puts me a bit at comfort knowing that I'm going to have that to rely on if need be.
'It's been a goal of mine to be in Wimbledon, seeded, with my team for a long time. Also being seeded, it's a moment for me to show the dedication I've put in these last few years.
Boulter is relishing the challenge of competing for the first time as a seeded player in SW19
The player is sporting customised Wimbledon-themed nails for the occasion of her home Slam
The pair have been dating for over four years, and last year played doubles at Wimbledon
The 27-year-old successfully defended her Nottingham Open title two weeks ago (pictured)
On the same weekend, Boulter's partner Alex De Minaur also won on grass in the Netherlands
'I think that's a little pat on the back for me. I feel very proud to have that number, I'm striving for more but I'm happy at the moment with where I'm at.'
Boulter's partner De Minaur - with whom she celebrated their four-year anniversary in March - also opened his tournament on Tuesday, defeating his Australian compatriot James Duckworth on Court 12, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6.
Dart became the third British woman to book her place in the second round with her victory against Zhuoxuan Bai in the first match on Court 18.
The 27-year-old breezed past the world No95 in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0 as she sought to move on from defeat at Eastbourne in her quarter-final against Leylah Fernandez.
Read more