Alex De Minaur ready to start learning from Katie Boulter
Katie Boulter’s love match with boyfriend Alex De Minaur ended in an impressive first-round victory in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon.
The couple, playing together competitively for the first time, beat Australian duo Storm Hunter and John Peers 6-2, 6-4.
It was an uplifting end to a tough day for De Minaur, who lost in three sets to Matteo Berrettini in the singles.
British number one Boulter, who won her first title in Nottingham last month, faces defending champion Elena Rybakina in the third round on Saturday.
De Minaur may be ranked 17 in the world, but he believes his partner’s recent success should be a lesson to him.
Perfect match @KatieCBoulter and @AlexDeMinaur made it through to the next round of the mixed doubles after their win today #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/H7ZV1Qlw1O
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2023
“Since the moment I met her I knew she had it in her,” he said.
“I’ve always thought she’s such a high-quality player, and it’s been amazing and great to see how she’s developed. She’s got that self-belief and what she’s been able to accomplish.
“I mean, the way she’s been handling the spotlight, the pressures, it’s been pretty astounding to me. You know, now it’s probably my turn to start learning from her.
“But yeah, she’s been playing amazing. She’s been doing amazing. She’s shown again this week that she deserves to be where she’s at, and I think, genuinely think, that it’s only the beginning.
“Hopefully she can keep on going and finish off a great year.”
Meanwhile, last year’s Wimbledon women’s singles runner-up Ons Jabeur thanked her husband for allowing her to hug David Beckham as she made it through to the third round at Wimbledon.
The Tunisian met the former England captain, whom she idolises, on Wednesday during his visit and shared an embrace before a brief chat.
Jabeur described the meeting as inspiring and it might have played a part in her 6-1, 6-1 thumping of China’s Bai Zhuoxuan on Court One.
She said: “It has been a pleasure meeting him, he is such a nice guy and very polite and I am glad my husband let me give him a hug.
“He’s such an amazing person. I was really looking forward to meeting him. We’ve been trying to organise this for a long time.
“Don’t tell my husband that, but yes, I did enjoy that hug, and the very nice conversation with him.
“I love to meet those athletes because I believe I can learn a lot from him. Hopefully I can meet many more.”
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