Katie Boulter watches her tennis star boyfriend Alex de Minaur surge into the quarter-finals on Court One – as she returns to Wimbledon just days after crashing out against Harriet Dart

Katie Boulter was pictured on Court One on Monday watching her boyfriend Alex de Minaur progress to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon after beating Arthur Fils 2-6 4-6 6-4 3-6.

It was the first time in his career that the Australian reached the quarter-finals at the All England Championships. The 25-year-old had to defend himself against an attack from his French opponent towards the end of the match.

It came just days after Boulter was knocked out of the tournament after being defeated in the second round of the women’s singles by compatriot Harriet Dart, 6-4 1-6 6-7.

Boulter, 27, enjoyed the atmosphere in the arena and smiled as she watched her friend play, but she appeared to get a little nervous towards the end of the match.

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 won both the first and second sets before Fils came back in the third, leveling with De Minaur at four games apiece before breaking him twice to take the set 6-4. The 25-year-old would bounce back in the fourth set, fending off a late surge from Fils to close out the match.

But concerns arose late in the match as it appeared De Minaur had suffered an injury while returning an opponent’s forehand on the final match point. BBC commentators speculated he had twisted his ankle as the Australian walked awkwardly back to his chair.

Asked afterwards if he was okay, the Australian replied: “I’ll be okay. I’ll find a way. Thanks guys, the atmosphere was incredible, I’m super proud of myself to be here at Wimbledon playing for you.”

When asked what he liked most about his performance, an exhausted De Minaur joked, “Crossing the finish line. I definitely made it a lot harder than I probably should have.

‘Glad I got through it. Well done for mentally pushing through even though I couldn’t serve at the end. I couldn’t hold my serve, I just supported my return. But I’m very happy with that and on to the next one.’

De Minaur will face either Holger Rune or Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, but he admitted: ‘I’m just happy to be in the quarter-finals, to fight one more time and to give myself another chance.’

Boulter has also had an excellent 2024 season so far, with victories over 2021 Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who won the Rothesay Open in June.

She also had success in San Diego in February, where she defeated Marta Kostyuk to win her second title on the WTA Tour.

She played a thrilling battle against British No. 2 Harriet Dart on Thursday in a chaotic battle that lasted almost three hours. Both players had predicted an absolute battle, and that was what it was. Boulter would take the advantage, break Dart’s third service game and take the first set 6-4.

De Minaur had run from Court No 3 to support his girlfriend after beating 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 would take a 4-0 lead in the second, however, before winning the set 6-1, breaking her opponent three times but appearing to break down in tears during the match. The final exchange went to a tiebreak, with Boulter hitting an errant forehand into the air to give Dart the match.

Dart would take a 4-0 lead in the second, however, before winning the set 6-1, breaking her opponent three times but appearing to break down in tears during the match. The final exchange went to a tiebreak, with Boulter hitting an errant forehand into the air to give Dart the match.

After the match, a devastated Boulter told reporters about the six words of support her boyfriend had given her after the defeat.

‘One match doesn’t define my career. That’s the first thing he [De Minaur] “he said to me when I came off the field,” said one Boulter.

“He knows what he’s talking about. It’s not his first rodeo. He’s been through it all, and I’m lucky to have that support.”

“She was better than me today,” Boulter added of Dart. “I didn’t hear her cry at all. At 6-2 down she has nothing to lose and she just relaxed. I think I played to her strengths as well.

“I wish her all the best. We are Billie Jean King Cup teammates. We have been through this long journey together. I hope she goes far in this tournament.

“These are the losses that hurt. But I’m going to use this difficult moment to really push myself. Next year at this time I’ll be a better player.”

Boulter and De Minaur have been dating since 2020, their relationship started over a cup of coffee at 6am. They recently celebrated their fourth anniversary and are the power couple of world tennis.

The pair were recently in fits of laughter when De Minaur joked that Boulter had given him a hard time for missing her victory at the Rothesay Open.

“Yeah, she gave me a bit of space, but I think she understands that. Maybe I had a bit less time and I tried my best. But yeah, it’s been an incredible week for both of us and I can’t believe it’s the second time this year,” he told Sky Sports Tennis.