For newly engaged tennis stars Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter, their debut as a mixed doubles team at the Eisenhower Cup in Indian Wells didn’t go as planned. Teaming up for the Tie Break Tens exhibition, where matches are decided by first-to-10-point tiebreaks, they faced defending champions Emma Navarro and Ben Shelton, ultimately losing 10-7. However, it was the playful banter between de Minaur and Boulter, rather than the match result, that truly captivated the audience.
Afterwards, the WTA World No.38 joked about her pairing with him. When asked whether this was the first time they played together, she said, “Second…and last time”. As a matter of fact, the two had previously teamed up for the Wimbledon mixed doubles competition, and they have expressed their intention to play together again at the US Open later this year. Meanwhile, Minaur was not far behind in responding back.
“I wasn’t sure if she was joking or not! We will have to see if US Open mixed is still on the cards,” the 26-year-old told Sky Sports. “I don’t think she was too happy with me. I missed too many volleys, and I wasn’t the greatest partner. She always carries me! I need to improve.” However, their fun banter continued on social media as well.
Boulter later took to her Instagram and shared a post. It featured their on-court moments from the exhibition match. In her caption, the British star wrote, “Fun night at @tiebreaktens even tho we lost I guess I’ll keep him ” However, Alex then came up with a hilarious response.
In the comments, he wrote, “There goes the wedding budget… ” while reflecting on the winning amount of Eisenhower Cup. It was $200,000, which ultimately went to the team of Taylor of Fritz and Elena Rybakina, who beat Tommy Paul and Madison Keys in the final battle.
While Boulter and Minaur couldn’t do much in the exhibition event, they will look to deliver a great performance in their individual campaigns at the Indian Wells.
A look at Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur’s 2025 Indian Wells campaigns
Firstly talking about the ATP pro, Alex de Minaur is seeded ninth at the Indian Wells this time. Last season, he was seeded 10th when he was ousted in the third round itself. World No.2 Alexander Zverev beat him 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Minaur will try to better his record in 2025’s edition. He’s set to play his first round match on Saturday. However, there’s no actual confirmation yet regarding his opponent.
Minaur’s coming off after a not-so-good experience in Melbourne, followed by Rotterdam, and the Middle East swing. At the Australian Open, he was ousted in the QF against World No.1 Jannik Sinner. He regained his spirits and managed to enter the final of his next ATP event in Rotterdam. But Carlos Alcaraz reigned supreme over him with a score line of 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. After that, he failed to impress in Doha and Dubai as he crashed out in the QF and R32, respectively.
Speaking of his girlfriend and WTA pro Katie Boulter, she’s seeded 25th. In 2024’s edition, she couldn’t do much after failing to move past Italy’s Camila Giorgi. The latter ended her campaign early with a score line of 6-3, 6-2. This time, she’s set to begin her journey against Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu on Friday. It will be their first face-off in a professional match. After the Australian Open, where she was eliminated in the second round after losing to Veronika Kudermetova, it will be Boulter’s first WTA tournament.
What are your thoughts on this couple’s prospects in Indian Wells this month? Let us know in the comments below.
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