Tennis power couple Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter are once again turning heads — but a curious trend continues: they seem to shine brightest when playing apart.
On Friday night in Monte Carlo, de Minaur delivered a career-best performance, demolishing World No.18 Grigor Dimitrov 6-0 6-0 to reach the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals. It marked the first time in his professional career he had “double-bagelled” an opponent — a feat so rare that not even Rafael Nadal has achieved it on clay.
“It’s crazy,” said de Minaur post-match. “The only time I’ve ever lost 6-0 6-0 was to Tommy Paul at the US Juniors.”
The 44-minute masterclass was also historic: the first 6-0 6-0 scoreline in an ATP quarter-final since Roger Federer blanked Mischa Zverev in Halle 12 years ago. De Minaur dropped just 15 of 63 points played and surged to World No.7 in the live rankings.
He also became:
- The first Aussie since John Alexander in 1979 to reach the Monte Carlo semis
- The first since Lleyton Hewitt in 2007 to make the final four of a Masters 1000 event on clay
De Minaur, now with a tour-leading 20 wins this year, will face Lorenzo Musetti next, after the Italian upset Stefanos Tsitsipas — who holds an intimidating 11-1 record over de Minaur. Fortunately, the Aussie and Musetti are 1-1 in their head-to-head.
Meanwhile, fellow Aussie Alexei Popyrin fell in his quarter-final, losing to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in 69 minutes.
Boulter Stuns in Billie Jean King Cup Comeback
On the other side of Europe, Katie Boulter led Great Britain to a 2-1 victory over Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup. The British No.1 recovered from a poor start to defeat Tatjana Maria 1-6 6-3 6-1.
“I pride myself on being a fighter,” Boulter said after her comeback. “That’s probably experience — I’ve rarely felt like I’ve been convincingly beaten in this competition.”
Earlier, Sonay Kartal notched a confident 6-4 6-2 win over Jule Niemeier, setting the stage for Boulter to seal the tie. Great Britain will now face the Netherlands on Saturday for a spot in the BJK Cup Finals in September.
Boulter’s form mirrors her fiancé’s — but the couple’s on-court success seems oddly disconnected. Despite both being top-tier talents, they’ve rarely excelled at the same tournaments. At Indian Wells and Miami earlier this year, both struggled despite playing side by side.
Boulter, ranked World No.40, crashed out in early rounds, while de Minaur reached the last 16 in both events but couldn’t go further.
Whether it’s coincidence or just the nature of elite sport, one thing is clear: Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter are having standout seasons — just not always side by side.
