- The No 32 seed is seeded for the first time at her home Grand Slam tournament
- Boulter comes to Wimbledon fresh from her Nottingham Open title defence
- 27-year-old’s partner Alex De Minaur made a winning start on Tuesday afternoon
Victories for Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart ensured Wimbledon will witness an early Battle of Britain in the second round on Thursday, and it is not only in the confines of the All England Club’s posh eateries where beef may be on the menu.
While friends, British No 1 Boulter and No 2 Dart have seen their clashes involve controversy in recent times.
That included a frosty exchange at the net in Nottingham last year when Dart questioned her opponent’s professionalism after celebrating her win.
It was at the same venue this year that Dart complained to tournament officials during an ill-tempered defeat, betting £50,000 that she was correct about a disputed line call.
A little competitiveness never hurt, and Boulter and Dart will now go head to head at Wimbledon, each hoping to equal their best-ever record at SW19.
Katie Boulter (pictured) has taken to court to begin her Wimbledon against Tatjana Maria
The player is sporting customised Wimbledon-themed nails for the occasion of her home Slam
Boulter is relishing the challenge of competing for the first time as a seeded player in SW19
Boulter had to win ugly on No 3 Court to see off Tatjana Maria, the German mother of two and former Wimbledon semi finalist ranked 63 in the world who made her work throughout their two-hour, seven-minute grapple.
As Boulter stepped on to court, the 27-year-old showed off her custom Wimbledon-themed nails, painted with little strawberries, and stripes of the iconic tournament’s purple and white colours.
Despite unleashing 52 unforced errors to her opponent’s 17, Boulter secured a 7-6, 7-5 victory. That followed a dominant display from Dart, who defeated Chinese Zhuoxuan Bai 6-4, 6-0 on Court 18.
‘I’m looking forward to the ice bath, and I can’t say I’ve said that before,’ Boulter said.
‘She made me work hard. I’m just glad to be through. I know she made semi-finals a couple years ago and I can completely see why.’
The 27-year-old successfully defended her Nottingham Open title two weeks ago (pictured)
On the same weekend, Boulter’s partner Alex De Minaur also won on grass in the Netherlands
The pair have been dating for over four years, and last year played doubles at Wimbledon
On Dart, she added: ‘Playing a Brit in the UK on the grass is never an easy draw. I’m expecting an absolute battle.
‘Honestly for me, it’s about playing the tennis ball, not about playing the person.’
Broken to love in her opening service game, Boulter soon found herself trailing 3-0. Nerves, perhaps, from the British No 1.
It was after getting back on serve that she tapped her temple towards a box including her boyfriend, Alex de Minaur, who secured a straight-sets win over James Duckworth earlier in the day.
Tiebreaks are a strength of Maria’s, her relentlessness tricky for opponents to overcome, but a long backhand offered Boulter the chance to claim the first set and she duly did.
With Maria serving to stay in the match as she trailed 6-5 in the second set, she clawed her way back from 0-30 to 30-30. Yet Boulter saw a chance to end the contest here and now.
The Brit secured a match point when Maria aimed long, and then clinched the victory with a backhanded winner down the line to set up a showdown with Dart.
Boulter will hope to emulate Harriet Dart, who sailed past her first-round rival in straight sets
Boulter headed into Wimbledon on the heels of claiming a second grass court title after successfully defending her Nottingham Open title two weeks ago.
Boulter battled past fellow Briton Emma Raducanu in a rain-delayed three-set thriller of a semi-final to set up a deciding clash with Karolina Pliskova, and won her third career title 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
On the same weekend, Boulter’s partner De Minaur also won on grass, with the world No 9 triumphing at the Libema Open in the Netherlands.
Seeded for the first time at the competition, ahead of Tuesday’s tie, the world No 32 stressed that she was more than comfortable with the added pressure in SW19 this year.
‘I’m sure it’s going to get more and more hectic as it goes along, it always does,’ Boulter said over the weekend.
‘But it’s awesome. It’s really nice to be a part of such an incredible, historic tournament that I’ve watched since I was a kid. To then become someone that can be leading that pack, it helps me, I think it pushes me on.
‘Knowing there’s going to be a lot of people out there cheering for me, it puts me a bit at comfort knowing that I’m going to have that to rely on if need be. It’s been a goal of mine to be in Wimbledon, seeded, with my team for a long time.
‘Naturally I want to be playing these tournaments on my own ranking, I don’t want to be taking wild cards if I can help it. Also being seeded, it’s a moment for me to show the dedication I’ve put in these last few years.
‘I think that’s a little pat on the back for me. I feel very proud to have that number, I’m striving for more but I’m happy at the moment with where I’m at.’