The Score at the Australian Open: Katie Boulter forget the tie-break rules as Poms made to cry

We know them as ‘Whinging Poms’ but the British press think they have a new moniker for their tennis players. The ‘Crying Poms’ was getting a work-out after a hat-trick of tears. THE SCORE

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 14: Katie Boulter of Great Britain celebrates a point in her first round match against Ekaterina Makarova of Russia during day one of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 14, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Katie Boulter knows the rules around ‘super tiebreakers’, having read about them on Twitter leading up to the Australian Open, but on Monday the blushing Briton herself went viral when she unloaded a premature double fist-pump celebration.

Boulter, 22, raced to seven points - the number needed to win every other tie-break in grand slam tennis history - in the third-set decider with Ekaterina Makarova and charged to the net only to be halted by the chair umpire and a surprise challenge.

“I’d actually seen it a lot over Twitter and stuff, a lot of people were talking about it,” a sheepish but ultimately victorious Boulter said after the match.

“It’s so tough to say what’s going to go through your mind at that point.

“I’m fully focused in everything that I’m doing and staying in the process that it’s very difficult to think about that, when it’s a new rule.”

Australian Open organizers last month introduced the first-to-10-point tiebreak method - at 6-6 in the deciding set - for all men’s and women’s singles, doubles, juniors, wheelchairs and quad singles matches.

Wooopsy 😂🤦🏼‍♀️ https://t.co/07nKcgMJKx

— Katie Boulter (@KatieBoulter1) January 14, 2019

boulter started walking to the net after she reached seven points during the supertiebreak, not even the players know the rules aymore😩😩

— ariel 😟😟😟 (@sayallez) January 14, 2019

Boulter not held up too much longer and takes the tie-break 10-6 #australianopen but clearly the rules need to be explained better by @AustralianOpen as she came to the net when she went 7-4 up

— Patrick O'Kane (@sportingpat) January 14, 2019

KATIE BOULTER HAS FORGOTTEN THE RULES!! #AusOpen

— Matt Roberts (@Roberts96Matt) January 14, 2019

The only thing to light up quicker than social media following Boulter’s blunder was the world no.97-ranked Englishwoman’s mobile phone notifications.

“I got to take it light-heartedly,” Boulter said.

“I ended up getting the win and I probably would have been really devastated had I not but yeah, a couple of people have mentioned it to me, I can laugh it off now but at least I know the rule so it definitely won’t happen again.”

For those interested, Boulter went on to claim three of the next five points to win 6-0 4-6 7-6 (10-6) and toast success again, with a double fist up and scream, only this time on the base-line.

“It’s actually very tough to turn around because you’ve just released and think you’ve won the match,” Boulter said.

“To get back to work and find a way, I thought I did that well and I’m pretty proud of myself for digging deep.”

Andy Murray trolling Nick Kyrgios on social media.

MUZZA STILL FUNNY

While Andy Murray’s body may be letting him down his sense of humour is certainly still at the top of its game after he posted an image on Instagram sledging Nick Kyrgios.

The three-time Grand Slam winner didn’t miss his Aussie mate after bumping into him at dinner.

Murray posted a photo on his Instagram account of Kyrgios eating alone and captioned it: “(Nick Kyrgios) having dinner with all his mates.”

The All-England Club is set to celebrate Andy Murray’s career with a statue.

The two-time Wimbledon winner will be honoured in a similar way to the great Fred Pery who has a statue outside Centre Court.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” Wimbledon’s chief executive Richard Lewis told the BBC.

“I am sure something like that will be done. We always felt when Andy retired it would be the appropriate time to recognise his extraordinary career.

“At the club he is a highly respected person both on and off the court. We are very fond of him and he is a great person to have around the club.”

MORE MONEY PLEASE

Novak Djokovic wants more cash for the battlers on the tennis circuit.

The word poverty was even used to describe how some players are living.

Well, the opening centre court match of the 2019 Australian Open wasn’t a great advertisement for Djokovic’s cash grab.

British qualifier Harriet Dart failed to win a game against Maria Sharapova yet collected $75,000 for her troubles.

A breakdown of her efforts saw Dart earn just over $1190 a minute while she was on Rod Laver Arena.

She also only won 29 points for the match which equates to a handy $2586 per point.

Harriet Dart had a tough opening day at the Australian Open. Picture: Michael Klein

CRYING POMS

We know them as ‘Whinging Poms’ but the British press think they have a new moniker for their tennis players.

The ‘Crying Poms’ was getting a work-out after a hat-trick of tears from the Brits before the tournament was even three hours old.

First there was Andy Murray on Sunday when he was overcome with emotion after revealing he was being forced into retirement because of injury.

And then the Poms had two early casualities on the women’s side with Harriet Dart going double-bagel against Maria Sharapova and Heather Watson winning just three games against Petra Martic.

Their media conferences followed the same path with one or two questions enough to have both in tears.

YOU DID NOT JUST ASK THAT?

They say you should never ask a question which you don’t already know the answer to.

One international journalist found this out the hard way during an exchange with American Sloane Stephens.

The first question about her coaching situation got a tick but then the journo got into shaky ground when they pushed for more specifics.

For background Stephens has recently split with her coach Kamau Murray with his rumoured replacement being Sylvester Black, a long-time adviser of the No.5 seed.

Journalist: “So is Sly Black here with you?”

Stephens: “Did you watch the match?”

Journalist: “Sorry, I was watching another one I had to watch. Sorry.”

Stephens: “Did anyone watch the match?”

This was initially met with silence in the press room before Stephens picked up some nods and then added: “He’s here then because I know somebody knows. Okay. Sly’s here.”

Celebrating too early! Katie Boulter got the rules wrong

DATE EUGENIE?

If successful, at scoring a date with Canadian bombshell Eugenie Bouchard, ex-Richmond footballer Dan Connors might want invite Dane Swan along after the Brownlow medallist issued a glowing endorsement.

After reading about Bouchard’s “ideal man” - as described to the Herald Sun as confident, funny, stylish and 179cm or taller - Connors, who stands 7cm taller than the benchmark, launched a cheesy attempt at sliding into Bouchard’s mentions.

“I’ve been pretty lonely myself @geniebouchard and sad actually, my bakery just burnt down the other day..yep the whole things toast...haha thats classic dan connors, genie how r u? let’s get together sometime #shooturshot,” Connors posted.

Eugenie Bouchard caused a stir on Twitter last week. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)

Daniel Connorsreplied to Bouchard’s Tweet. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

We know Bouchard, who posted a suggestive “kinda bored, kinda lonely” picture on Instagram recently, which attracted about 6000 replies from modern day romantic, has form dating at least one random - #SuperBowlDate Twitter guy - John Goehrke,.

Unfortunately for Connors, though, it was Swan and not Bouchard that jumped on the dad joke-inspired tweet.

I’ve been pretty lonely myself @geniebouchard and sad actually, my bakery just burnt down the other day..yep the whole things toast...haha thats classic dan connors, genie how r u? let’s get together sometime #shooturshot https://t.co/4db1Voa0iv

— Daniel connors (@Danconnors19) January 14, 2019

“@geniebouchard I can vouch for this upstanding citizen @Danconnors19. Never have I met a more stylish, funny, tall and confident man in all my years. You would not regret it. #miss100%oftheshotsudonttakedan” Swan added.

Swan - a master of deadpan hot takes - capped the conversation after being dubbed a ‘man of the people’ by Connors.

“Not all heroes wear capes amigo,” Swan replied.

😴

Nothing gets past @RafaelNadal #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/PebIxmYg4t

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 14, 2019

GRAND:

If you had any doubt about Alex De Minaur being the real deal that can now be erased because he’s passed the big punters’ test. When the big boys start unloading $14800 on you at odds of $1.06, you’re officially in the big time.

SLAM:

We’re all for something different but Bethanie Mattek-Sands had the fashion police reaching for a red card. The knee-high black socks with a strange pink sheer t-shirt with random floral patterns was really crying out for some Doc Martens and a walk down Brunswick Street.

THE WHISPER

Which Australian Open journalist might have been feeling the effects of jetlag and fell asleep during Rafael Nadal’s media conference? Luckily Rafa saw the funny side of it, jesting in Italian with the slothful reporter.