KATIE BOULTER SET TO CHEER AGAINST FELLOW BRIT AT US OPEN AFTER GETTING KNOCKED OUT

Jack Draper is set to be backed by the whole of Britain when he takes on Alex de Minaur in his US Open quarter-final on Wednesday, with one notable exception. Draper's Australian opponent is the boyfriend of Katie Boulter, who saw her own tournament campaign ended in the second round by Jessica Bouzas.

The pair have been together since March 2021, and have managed to combine their relationship with their respective careers.

Earlier this year the two stars gave a joint interview ahead of the Mutua Madrid Open, revealing they initially kept their romance secret from the rest of the tour.

"Remember that time when we were having breakfast on like separate tables?" Boulter said, with De Minaur responding: "We would rock down to breakfast at different times."

Boulter then added: "Different times, like 10 minutes later. It's so true, so people wouldn't find out." Her partner then claimed that their initial plan seemed to pay off, laughing as she said: "It worked every time."

Boulter, 28, will undoubtedly be happy to see a fellow Brit go all the way in Flushing Meadows. But she seemingly has little option but to back her boyfriend, and her reaction if present in the crowd is likely to scrutinised by television cameras and social media.

Draper has become the first British man to reach this stage since Andy Murray in 2016. The Scot has been a vocal supporter of his close friend, who spoke of his delight at reaching the quarter-finals after beating Tomas Machac.

"First off I feel amazing, you know being in the last eight, my first quarter-final of a Grand Slam," said the 22-year-old. "It means the absolute world to me. I felt like today was a strange match in all honesty.

"I've played him multiple times and it's been a real battle, he's got the best of me. And then watching his opening rounds here, I felt he was barely missing a ball and it was great levels so I understood I needed to be ready from the first ball."

De Minaur, 25, is in formidable form himself though, and has won all three of his previous meetings with Draper. He's already ended the hopes of one British player in Dan Evans, winning the final two sets without dropping the game.

He also notched a 'bagel' in the opening set of his clash with compatriot Jordan Thompson, meaning a run of 18 successive games. He eventually came through in four sets, and is playing his fourth Slam quarter-final of the year after losing at that stage at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon.

2024-09-03T15:05:57Z dg43tfdfdgfd