KATIE BOULTER could not hide her shock – and delight – after Alex De Minaur’s rarely-seen ‘double kiss’.
The British No1, 27, was in the Rod Laver Arena crowd to watch her boyfriend take on Andrey Rublev in the Australian Open last 16.
X @eurosportAlex De Minaur produced a rare ‘double kiss’ off the top of the net[/caption]
X @eurosportGirlfriend Katie Boulter could barely believe her eyes[/caption]
And she went through all the emotions during the agonising five-set defeat across four hours and 14 minutes of gruelling tennis.
But it was a mixture of joy, awkwardness and disbelief after an incredible moment in the third-set tie-break.
Locked at 3-3, No5 seed Rublev looked to have earned a lucky break when his crunching forehand clipped the net and looped over.
But Aussie De Minaur – known for his supersonic speed and roared on by a partisan crowd – chased the ball down brilliantly to keep the rally going.
Then as Rublev tried to pass him up the line, he reached out to make the forehand volley at the net.
The ball hit the net and popped up in the air before landing back on the white tape again then dropped just over, giving Rublev no chance.
World No10 De Minaur, 24, immediately put up a hand of apology as his pal and compatriot Nick Kyrgios on Eurosport commentary laughed and said: “No! The double kiss… no way!”
And as the raucous support went crazy, the TV cameras cut to De Minaur’s girlfriend Boulter sat in his box.
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The Leicester City fan – who is ranked 54th in the world and lost in round two – covered her face with her hands, utterly stunned at the incredible stroke of good fortune at such a key moment in the match.
But she then was unable to resist allowing herself a wry smile and cheeky laugh before burying her face away.
Tennis power couple Boulter and De Minaur have been dating for three years and even teamed up to play mixed doubles together at Wimbledon in 2023.
However, he risked the wrath of his blonde bombshell partner this week when he joked he would keep his vintage Mini Cooper car over Katie if he had to choose between the two loves of his life.
De Minaur – who also produced a mesmerising turn of speed and round-the-net shot in the second-set breaker – responded to dropping the first set to win both tie-breaks.
That put him a set away from reaching the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for just the second time in his career – and a first at his home major Down Under at Melbourne Park.
However, Rublev battled back to prevail eventually 6-4 6-7 6-7 6-3 6-0.
The Russian will take on No4 seed Jannik Sinner in the quarters – for the right to play ten-time champ Novak Djokovic or Taylor Fritz in the Australian Open semis.
GettyBoulter cheered her man on as he turned the game around[/caption]
EPAIt ended in heartbreak for the Aussie who lost the fifth set 6-0[/caption]
De Minaur and Boulter have been dating for three years
Instagram/@alexdeminaurThe pair regularly support each other at matches[/caption]