Katie Boulter suffers shock new blow as worrying trend with fiancee Alex de Minaur continues
The tennis stars often face challenges whenever they compete in tournaments simultaneously.
Katie Boulter faced a surprising first-round exit at the Miami Open, raising further concerns about a potential trend involving her fiancé, Alex de Minaur. The British player fell 4-6, 2-6 to rising American talent Peyton Stearns on Wednesday, despite Stearns being ranked slightly lower.
This loss follows both Boulter and de Minaur’s early eliminations at Indian Wells last week, adding to a concerning dip in form for the Australian star. The Miami Open and Indian Wells provide rare occasions where the couple competes in the same location, as both ATP and WTA events run simultaneously.
This typically happens only at Grand Slams and select 1000-level tournaments. De Minaur and Boulter had high hopes for a strong campaign in the Californian desert, but both left with disappointment instead.
Boulter exited in the second round after falling to World No. 7 Elena Rybakina, marking her return from a foot injury that had sidelined her since the Australian Open. Meanwhile, De Minaur had a stronger run, reaching the fourth round, but his campaign ended in an unexpected loss to 25th-ranked Francisco Cerúndolo.
De Minaur was favored to defeat his Argentine opponent, having previously beaten him in four sets at the Australian Open in January. However, Cerúndolo turned the tables with a 7-5, 6-3 upset, keeping De Minaur from reaching the Indian Wells quarterfinals once again.
As the men’s event begins on Friday, De Minaur will aim for a stronger performance in Miami. Meanwhile, Boulter’s campaign has already come to an early end following her first-round defeat.
Performance level 💯@peyton_stearns is into the second round after defeating Boulter in straight sets. #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/TOHCQBxjMP
— wta (@WTA) March 19, 2025
Alex de Minaur going through worrying form slump
De Minaur’s recent struggles have seen him slip in the rankings from No. 6 to No. 11. His form had been promising earlier in the season, as he reached his first-ever Australian Open quarterfinal and later made the final in Rotterdam, where he fell to Carlos Alcaraz.
His performance has dipped over the past month. He made a surprising choice to skip defending his title at the Mexican Open, a tournament he won in both 2023 and 2024. Instead, he opted to compete in consecutive events in Doha and Dubai, aiming to secure more ranking points and a share of the $10 million prize pool.
However, the move did not pay off as expected. He suffered a quarterfinal exit in Doha and an early second-round loss in Dubai, resulting in a drop in his ranking. His decision to forgo the Mexican Open may have also been influenced by Boulter’s participation in Doha and Dubai, but that plan fell apart when his fiancée withdrew due to injury.
Nick Kyrgios makes ‘brutally honest’ admission after winning first singles match in over 2 years at Miami Open 2025
Former World No. 13 Nick Kyrgios celebrated his first victory in two and a half years at the Miami Open. He overcame Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win.
Kyrgios made his comeback to the men’s tour this year after a long injury layoff. Before the Miami Open, he struggled with early exits in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Rome.
The Australian was relieved to return to winning ways after a tough start to the season. In his post-match interview, he expressed his happiness and emphasized the need to manage his wrist injury carefully in the coming days.
“I thought I’d never play tennis again, to be brutally honest with you. That was going that way. I’ve had conversations with my camp and my team, guys who are leaving their families to be here with me.. I was like look, I don’t know how long I can keep doing this for. This puts a bit more petrol in the tank.. but I’ve got to be realistic. I’ll see how my wrist pulls up tomorrow. It is a grind out here,” Nick Kyrgios said.
Kyrgios after getting first win in 2 and a half years in Miami
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 19, 2025
Nick: “I thought I’d never play tennis again, to be brutally honest with you. That was going that way. I’ve had conversations with my camp and my team, guys who are leaving their families to be here with me.. I was… pic.twitter.com/gnzvPqIplC
In 2022, Kyrgios was ranked among the world’s top 25 players. However, persistent injuries have pushed him outside the top 800 in the rankings.
This week, he secured his first victory since October 2022, when he defeated Kamil Majchrzak at the Japan Open. Ahead of the Miami Open, he admitted to feeling nervous and lacked confidence in his chances against any opponent in the singles draw.
“It’s tough. Honestly, I saw the draw and I didn’t feel confident about facing anyone to be honest. The way my wrist has pulled up the last 6 months hasn’t been great. But I guess having one win against Mackie.. I had something to draw from experience. He’s such a good player. He’s so tricky. It definitely caught me off guard,” Nick Kyrgios said.
“I wasn’t used to that ball speed again. It’s been a long journey, even to just get to the start line of matches and be scared to be able to finish them.. but to come off and get a win and feel like I belong again feels pretty special,” he added.
