Fans rally around Katie Boulter after horrible scenes for Alex de Minaur's fiancee

Tennis fans are sending support to Katie Boulter after the British star left the court in tears after retiring hurt at the Hong Kong Open on Tuesday night. And she's now in serious danger of failing to join fiance Alex de Minaur at the Australian Open.

The 29-year-old called for the trainer while trailing 20-year-old Filipino Alexandra Eala 6-4 2-1 in their first-round match. Boulter broke down in tears after deciding she couldn't continue, and Eala consoler her with a hug near the net.

"I'm a little out of words," Eala said in her on-court interview. "I think this time of the year is a tough moment for a lot of players, physically and mentally being the end of the season. I hope that Katie can take this time to recover and just look back on her season proudly."

Boulter has won just eight of her last 21 main-draw matches, and hasn't made it past the second round of a tournament since the Nottingham Open in June. Since Wimbledon she's only won three matches at WTA level.

Could Katie Boulter miss the Australian Open?

She reached a career high of World No.23 at the end of 2024, but has fallen all the way down to 99th in the current live rankings. The Brit was defending a swathe of rankings points because she was runner-up in Hong Kong in 2025, and her horror season could have major ramifications for the Australian Open in January.

If she falls outside the top 100, she won't get automatic entry into the main draw, meaning she'll likely have to go through qualifying to make the grand slam tournament proper. It would mark the first grand slam in a number of years that Boulter and de Minaur don't play together if she doesn't manage to make it.

Boulter could follow the lead of a number of other players and end her season prematurely, with a view to getting as much rest as possible before the Australian Open. But she needs to keep playing to improve her ranking.

Fans were quick to rally around her on social media after the heartbreaking scenes. One person wrote: "Hard to see her struggle at such a critical point." Another commented: "You've got to feel sorry for Katie Boulter there today."

Another wrote: "Get better soon Katie." While a fourth added: "Nice words from Alex and hopefully it’s nothing serious for Katie and she’s able to recover soon."

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Cameron Norrie stuns Carlos Alcaraz at Paris Masters

It was better news for fellow Brit Cameron Norrie, who later stunned Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Masters. The World No.31 claimed the biggest win of his career in a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win against the man who beat him in straight sets at Wimbledon.

World No.1 Alcaraz hit 54 unforced errors and looked completely out of sorts. The loss ends his 17-match win streak at Masters 1000 events and means Jannik Sinner can overtake him at the top of the men’s rankings this week.

"It’s massive, so big for me," Norrie said in his on-court interview. "I’ve been coming back with my injury, last year I lost in the first-round qualifiers here.

"I’m just trying to enjoy my tennis and in the second half of the year I was able to do that and to get a win, the biggest of my career, my first win over a world number one and the most confident player in the world right now, him and (Jannik) Sinner combined, I’m so pleased with the way I did it.

"Having a lot of chances, having to keep pushing and keep going for more, I was able to stay tough and get the win so I’m really pleased."

Boulter's fiancee de Minaur kicks off his Paris campaign against Gabriel Diallo of Canada on Wednesday night. The World No.6 can take a big step towards qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals with a deep run.

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