Katie Boulter looks set to swerve a meeting with fiancé Alex de Minaur on New Year’s Day as she and Charles Broom team up again in the mixed doubles at the United Cup in Australia.
The British No 1 and Broom were victorious on Monday as they beat Argentinian duo Maria Lourdes Carle and Tomas Etcheverry 7-6 7-5, with Boulter having won her opening singles clash against Nadia Podoroska a day earlier.
The draw had presented the prospect of Boulter facing off against newly-engaged fiancé De Minaur given Great Britain and Australia are both in Group F, something she had admittedly been keen to avoid.
“I don’t know about having a match against him, I think that’s going to be terrible, and a bit of a popcorn match,” Boulter said earlier this week. “But yeah, let’s hope we don’t reach there and we win before.
“It’s a tough situation. He was smiling when I came off the court because we kept them in it, so he’s happy. I’m just looking forward to a battle. I don’t know what’s going to happen on the day. I just have to keep my head down and try not to think too much about it, but we’re both going to be fighting for it. We both want it. We both are competitive.”
That now seems unlikely to happen, with Ellen Perez and Matthew Ebden listed as Boulter and Broom’s opponents. Nonetheless, it beckons as another shot at Great Britain vs Australia bragging rights, regardless of De Minaur’s involvement.
It also continues a special week for world No 276-ranked Broom, who previously attended Ivy League Dartmouth and only made his Wimbledon debut this summer when he was beaten by Stan Wawrinka as a wild card.
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Highlights of Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic’s win in their Brisbane International match
“[I like] the atmosphere (at the United Cup),” he told the ATP Tour website. “I love having the team benches as well. When you’re going there, in the change of ends or end of set, you’ve got the coaching there, all the guys supporting, all the team supporting. It’s great. It’s unique, that’s for sure,” Broom said of the United Cup, where he is debuting. “There’s nothing else that compares to it even when I played mixed doubles at Wimbledon.
“I love that, but it was still very much that you’re on your own, can’t have coaching, That is just a bit differently, I feel the United Cup has been eye opening, for sure. And I’ve loved it.”
Boulter is also due to take on Olivia Gadecki in the singles draw, while De Minaur is listed to face Great Britain’s Billy Harris.
Elsewhere at the Brisbane International the pairing of Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios are due to return to action against Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus in the round of 16.
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