Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart's on-court spats and heated arguments make their Wimbledon meeting today an unmissable all-British clash: Inside one of tennis' most cut-throat rivalries

After 3 hours and 45 minutes, some Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner trim exhausted figures connected Centre Court. The all-Italian conflict hyped successful nan build-up had turned retired to beryllium a late-night classic, pinch nan world No1 only conscionable swiping nan title successful 4 sets against nan tireless grass-court specialist. 

But arsenic disappointed arsenic Berrettini must person been to person to travel adjacent to taking nan narrowly fought necktie to 5 sets, moreover a daze victory, he took nan clip astatine nan nett to stock a hug pinch his friend and Davis Cup team-mate, moreover tenderly patting his feature successful congratulations. 

No specified scenes are expected successful a 2nd box-office necktie betwixt 2 compatriots connected No1 Court connected Thursday afternoon. Instead, nan all-British matter betwixt Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart is apt to person nan hostility of a simmering civilian war. 

Both 27 years old, Boulter and Dart person spent complete 2 decades successful 1 another's orbit, some increasing up truthful emmeshed successful nan tennis world that their mothers - Sue Boulter and Susie Dart - had moreover met arsenic players during their ain early careers. 

The brace are friends - and Boulter has spoken astir really 'awful' it tin beryllium to play her Billie Jean King Cup team-mate because that - but arsenic Boulter's prima has risen to return successful back-to-back Nottingham title wins and a seeded berth astatine Wimbledon, Dart has struggled to spot nan aforesaid success, making it to her first WTA-level semi-final conscionable this twelvemonth astatine nan Translyvania Open. The conditions are primed for rivalry laced pinch needle.

In their elder outings, nan brace person met 1 different 7 times, but their's has been a one-sided conflict, pinch Boulter, nan existent British No1, besting Dart each but 1 of nan times they've look 1 another. 

The world No100 will return nary comfortableness that her 1 triumph came not connected grass, but connected a difficult court, nor that writer tribunal person been a vivid greenish backdrop to 2 of their frostiest meetings. 

The first came past year, astatine nan Nottingham Open, connected nan heels of Boulter's 6-3 7-5 triumph against her chap Briton. Boulter was successful truth en way to her maiden writer tribunal title, and celebrated nan quarter-final triumph expansively - overmuch to Dart's disapproval. 

Dart took rumor pinch Boulter jabbing a digit astatine her temple successful nan guidance of her subordinate box, and told her truthful erstwhile they met astatine nan nett for a cursory handshake. 

Boulter denied that it had thing to do pinch Dart, and Dart called her retired for being 'unprofessional' arsenic nan players turned to nan umpire, forcing different denial from nan victor - who said that she made nan motion 'after each match' and that it was 'nothing personal'.

But Dart struggles to support her emotions adjacent to her thorax erstwhile playing chap Brits, and Boulter successful particular, their astir caller gathering bubbling up arsenic nan subordinate erstwhile again recovered herself incapable to support her cool. 

Back astatine Nottingham - conscionable weeks earlier their gathering connected No1 Court connected Thursday - this clip Dart boiled complete erstwhile nan chair umpire deemed Boulter's victor arsenic falling in, alternatively than out, arsenic Dart saw it. 

'No way!' Dart shouted crossed court. 'The shot was truthful acold out.'

When nan chair umpire confirmed her call, Dart many times protested earlier saying that it was 'embarrassing' and that she was 'embarrassing herself' earlier receiving a reprimand. 

During nan alteration of ends, Dart's fury showed nary signs of subsiding. 

'I committedness you,' she continued, 'if you watch it back, I will stake £50,000 that shot was out. Honestly. I would shingle your manus correct now. 

'It's a joke really acold that shot was out.' 

Boulter sensibly stayed acold distant from nan conflict and knuckled down to spot retired the 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 7-5 match, which lasted good complete 3 hours. 

At this point, nan British No1 stressed aft her first-round triumph against Tatjana Maria, nan brace 'know each other's games inside-out, back-to-front', and Boulter is gearing up for a challenging conflict arsenic a result. 

'Playing a Brit successful nan UK connected nan writer is ne'er an easy tie and I’m expecting an absolute battle,' Boulter said connected Monday.  

'I do person to tie connected nan past things that I person played pinch her and usage that to my advantage successful nan adjacent round. I deliberation it's going to beryllium highly tough. I person a batch of respect for her connected this surface. It's 1 of her favourite ones.

'This is really her location club. She's been present since she was a mini tot pinch her mum.'

But Boulter stressed that she was 'excited' by nan challenge, adding: 'you person 2 Brits present who are playing immoderate very bully tennis. She's personification that's going to make it very difficult for me. I'm going to person to bring my A-game.'

Dart - past unaware whether she would beryllium facing Maria aliases Boulter aft her early dismissal of Zhuoxuan Bai - was little easy to publication connected really she felt astir different gathering pinch a rival that has go 1 of her toughest opponents to beat. 

'I person thing to lose, that's for sure,' Dart pondered. 'For me, a large extremity was conscionable trying to get done information one. Last twelvemonth was I would opportunity heartbreaking for me, but besides put maine successful a spot wherever I had to excavation heavy towards nan extremity of nan year.

'I ever deliberation things hap for a reason. They decidedly did. This year, I'm very overmuch focusing overmuch much connected nan process, really if I tin play immoderate bully tennis, I tin springiness myself nan champion opportunity to play well, to put myself successful a position to triumph matches. That's benignant of each I tin do.'