British tennis star Katie Swan lifted her 16th ITF title in Brisbane on Sunday. And it was an extra special victory for the 26-year-old, as he boyfriend, Australian player Alex Bolt, won the ATP Challenger event staged in the same venue.
It’s been a resurgent season for Swan, who was left considering retirement in 2024 when a back injury derailed her career. The former world No. 118 returned to competition this year and has now lifted four ITF trophies since May, reaching two other finals.
Swan went on a tear at this week’s Queensland International, beating four Aussies – including No. 2 seed Emerson Jones – on her way to the final. In the championship match, the Brit came from a set down to beat fifth seed Sijia Wei 3-6 6-3 6-3.
The Queensland International also staged a Challenger 75 event during the week, and Swan’s boyfriend, Bolt, was the No. 6 seed. The Aussie defeated top seed and countryman James Duckworth in the quarter-finals and capped off the tournament with a 6-3 6-3 victory over qualifier Tung-Lin Wu in the final.
Swan took to social media to mark the special occasion as she and world No. 238 Bolt posed side-by-side, holding their trophies. “Extra special one,” she wrote in the caption.
Australian tennis stars Daria Saville and Taylah Preston congratulated the couple in the comments, while Omar Jasika, who lost in the first round of the Challenger tournament, wrote: “Insane. Congrats to both.”
Swan has enjoyed plenty of career highlights, but her Brisbane triumph means even more, with Bolt picking up a trophy at the same venue. Nine years ago, aged 16, Swan became the youngest woman to make their debut in the British Billie Jean King Cup team, back when the team tournament was known as the Fed Cup.
The former world No. 118 secured her first Grand Slam main draw victory on some soil at Wimbledon in 2018, beating then-36th-ranked Irina-Camelia Begu. A year later, Swan met 20-time Major winner Roger Federer at SW19, posing for a photo with the Swiss star and writing: “Sorry for kicking you off the court.”
Swan is set to rise 37 spots up the rankings after lifting the trophy in Brisbane, and will be the world No. 280 on Monday. She’s now set to compete in next week’s W75 event in Sydney, while Bolt will be in action at the Challenger tournament there.
Lleyton Hewitt will be coming out of retirement to play alongside his son, Cruz, in the doubles draw in Sydney.
