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.
“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.”
Britain’s Neal Skupski and American partner Desirae Krawczyk’s bid for a third successive title ended abruptly with a 4-6 7-6 (8) 6-4 defeat by Joran Vliegen and Xu Yifan.
