Katie Boulter described playing alongside Venus Williams as a "privilege" after the pair secured a first-round win in the women's doubles at the Madrid Open. The Briton and 45-year-old American, who had never partnered before, defeated China's Jiang Xinyu and Xu Yifan 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 on Saturday.
Boulter, who was eliminated from singles on Friday, admitted to feeling nervous before the match but credited Williams for calming her down. "Everyone came out here for an absolute icon," Boulter said. "I had nerves coming in this morning but you calmed me down in the warm-up. We just enjoyed it."
Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion currently on an 11-match singles losing streak, praised Boulter's energy. "She has great energy — I don't even know if Serena has this energy," Williams said, referring to her sister.
The pair will next face Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei and American Sofia Kenin in the second round.
Boulter, 29, is engaged to fellow tennis player Alex de Minaur and is set to marry later this year. Williams, who married last year, offered advice: "Take your time, you don't get that moment back, and you've just got to enjoy it fully."
Swiatek retires, Sabalenka advances
In singles action, world number four Iga Swiatek was forced to retire from her third-round match against Ann Li due to illness. After splitting the first two sets, Swiatek trailed 3-0 in the decider before pulling out. "I had zero energy and zero stability," Swiatek said. "It's disappointing because I was feeling really good with my game." The five-time Grand Slam winner had won the Madrid title in 2024 but now exits at her earliest stage in five appearances.
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one, cruised into the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Jaqueline Cristian. Sabalenka will face either Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina or Japan's Naomi Osaka next.