Boulter outclassed in straight-set loss to Bencic

After falling in the first set to Belinda Bencic in Melbourne, Great Britain’s Katie Boulter pulled out of the Australian Open.

Boulter, the world number 113, made a last-minute withdrawal from the main draw, which prevented her from competing in qualifying.

She had a difficult opening match, but she was unable to take on Swiss 10-seed Bencic, who had just conceded the first set in just 26 minutes without winning.

In set two, Boulter broke her opponent’s serve for the first time at 4-4, but she was unable to force a decider. She also offered much sterner resistance.

Boulter had a difficult 2025 season, falling from 24th in the world to just outside the top 100, and losing her British number one spot due to injury struggles.

The Briton, who helped Maria Sharapova win two Grand Slams and become the world’s number one, ended her relationship with her long-term coach Biljana Veselinovic in search of a new season.

Boulter’s wedding to Australian tennis player Alex de Minaur is scheduled for later in 2026, which is also a significant year for her.

Boulter stated before the competition that he will marry this year. No matter what happens on the tennis court, it will be an incredible year and one of the best in my life. That has already given me a positive boost, in my opinion.

Everything is new and exciting again thanks to having a new coach and set-up. At the end of last year, I felt a little dragged out trying to get through the entire year without getting hurt, which is where I feel.

Boulter, who is now the fourth-place British player, has only won four tour-level matches since Wimbledon.