Boulter teams up with 'absolute icon' Williams in Madrid

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Briton Katie Boulter said it was a privilege to play alongside "absolute icon" Venus Williams as they reached round two of the women's doubles at the Madrid Open.

Boulter, who was knocked out of the singles draw on Friday, and Williams, 45, had never played together before, but defeated China's Jiang Xinyu and Xu Yifan 4-6 6-3 10-7.

They will take on Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei and American Sofia Kenin in round two.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams is on an 11-match losing streak in singles and her last doubles win was at the US Open in September.

"It was nice to play and it was meant to be," American Williams said.

"She has great energy - I don't even know if Serena [Williams] has this energy."

Boulter only approached Williams about playing earlier this week and admitted to feeling nervous before stepping on to the court.

"Everyone came out here for an absolute icon," Boulter said.

"I had nerves coming in this morning but you [Venus] calmed me down in the warm-up. We just enjoyed it. We had the mindset of going out with a smile on our face.

The 29-year-old from Leicestershire is due to get married to fellow tennis player Alex de Minaur later this year, and Williams, who was married last year, said she is happy to give her new team-mate some advice.

"I don't know if she's taking my advice," said Williams. "I hope she does. My only tip for her is to take your time, you don't get that moment back and you've just got to enjoy it fully and take some days off.

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  • Published16 August 2025