Brit No 1 Katie Boulter crashes out of Australian Open second round to extend her barren Grand Slam record - despite fiance Alex De Minaur dashing across to watch after his own win
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Katie Boulter’s barren run in the Grand Slam arena continues after she lost in the second round of the Australian Open. The No22 seed was beaten 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 by Russian Veronika Kudermetova and is still yet to make it past the third round in a major.
![[Opponent Veronika Kudermetova (right) at times struggled for fitness but showed her class]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/10/94159033-14291461-Boulter_was_unable_to_hit_the_right_level_after_going_behind_in_-a-56_1737022249022.jpg)
For a player of her quality and ball-striking ability that is not good enough and she knows it. Boulter has promised to prioritise the Slams this year but she will have to wait until May, and the French Open, to have another crack. She was watched on Court 3 by fiancee Alex de Minaur. Their first-round matches overlapped so De Minaur only had chance to sneak in for the last few games. This time he wrapped up his 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Tristan Boyer and was in the Boulter box from the start, incognito in a black cap and hoodie, sat between his future mother in law Susan and Boulter’s coach Biljana Veselinovic.
![[The British No1 was watched by fiancee Alex de Minaur - who has booked his third-round spot]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/10/94158863-14291461-image-a-38_1737021966599.jpg)
On paper this looked a pretty easy second-round draw against the world No75 who before this week had not won a Grand Slam match since Wimbledon 2023. But Kudermatova is a former world No9 and her potential level remains high. She landed 80 per cent of her first serves in the first half of the opening set to go 5-2 up.
Katie Boulter was knocked out of the Australian Open in the second round as her shaky grand slam record rolls on. Opponent Veronika Kudermetova (right) at times struggled for fitness but showed her class. The British No1 was watched by fiancee Alex de Minaur - who has booked his third-round spot.
