British No. 1 Katie Boulter celebrated her four year association with Alex de Minaur with a second round win over teenaged Brenda Fruhvirtova in Miami.
Boulter led in the match 7-6 (5) 1-0 when Fruhvirtova had to withdraw due to a bout of illness.
The 16 year old Czech prospect was twice seen by the doctor on court as she struggled in the Florida heat, even though by local standards it was only a relatively cool 76 degrees F
After the win Boulter said “To win like that, I’ll take it but I want her to get better,” adding “Halfway through the match I’m seeing her coaches telling her to pull out and then she’s not.
“One minute she’s struggling to put the ball in the court and the next she’s running 10 shots side to side. It’s a tough mental game.”
It was a good day for the Brits as No. 3 Dan Evans earned a rare victory in what has been a lean spell for the 33 year old, beating Lorenzo Sonego 1-6 6-3 6-4
“I’m really happy – it has been a tragic year so far,” Evans said.
For the World No. 43 it was only his third win from nine matches in 2024 and sets up a second round match with American Christopher Eubanks.
Fellow Brits Andy Murray, Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie are all scheduled to play second-round matches on Friday, but play is likely to be interrupted as rain is forecast.
Main photo:- Katie Boulter posted a four year anniversary photo with boyfriend Alex de Minaur on Instagram with a cryptic message:-
