Tennis fans slam BBC live coverage of Queen's after Emma Raducanu snub ahead of Wimbledon
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TENNIS fans slammed the BBC for snubbing live coverage of Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter's doubles debut.
The all-star British duo teamed up for the first time at Queen's in the opening grass-court event ahead of Wimbledon.
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Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter played their first competitive doubles match together
Credit: Getty
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The British pairing beat Fang-Hsien Wu and Xinyu Jiang 6-4 6-2
Credit: PA
But despite the BBC holding the rights to the tournament and the euphoria around tennis after yesterday's epic French Open final, they opted against spotlighting two of GB's biggest names and instead only showed the singles action on the main show court - now called the Andy Murray Arena.
While Sonay Kartal, Jodie Burrage and two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova were live on TV, that meant that Raducanu and Boulter - second up on Court 1 - were overlooked on BBC Two.
And their match against Fang-Hsien Wu and Xinyu Jiang was not available for British tennis fans to watch on either the red button or iPlayer.
BBC presenter Isa Guha said: "Unfortunately, we won't be able to show you this match because we're focused on Andy Murray Arena, but we will be bringing you updates throughout the course of the afternoon."
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But wannabe viewers were not happy.
One moaned: "Errrrr you've got two Brits linking up in the doubles - don't you think that might have been of an interest to the British viewers?"
Another blasted: "You have the British women 1 and 2 playing together in doubles and you're not showing it? Make it make sense!! So frustrating!!"
A third added: "You just showed a clip of Court 1 where Emma and Katie are starting their match; so why not show the match as a second option or one court on iPlayer and one on BBC Two? Very frustrating!"
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A fourth complained: "Literally just showed us a clip of it why can't we watch it?!!!!"
A fifth fumed: "Absolutely ridiculous you're not showing Boulter/Raducanu in doubles."
Katie Boulter destroys tennis star fiance Alex de Minaur in four words after newly-engaged couple lose in doubles
And a final user typed: "Why isn't Court 1 on BBC iPlayer though? Can't watch Boultercanu?"
Boulter and Raducanu - nicknamed Boulteranu by some on social media - ran out 6-4 6-2 winners in 71 minutes, laughing and high-fiving their way to victory in joyful scenes in front of the 1,000-seater stand.
The match was Raducanu's second WTA doubles match of her career - and a first win.
Quizzed if they would team up again at Wimbledon, the former US Open champion downplayed their ambitions.
Raducanu - delighted to have overcome any injury concerns as she ended the match with a volley - insisted: 'It's a spontaneous thing, we're just trying to do the best we can this week.
"We thought about it in Madrid, Miami and Paris.
'Moving to the grass, which is a very different surface, it helps us get a feel of serving, returning and playing some points."
Tennis stars' new careers
PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring.
But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best… I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I quit to become a nun
I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so now run luxury B&B
I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to become high-flying lawyer
I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
I'm last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I'm singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
I'm former world No1 but quit aged 29 - instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist
But partner Boulter interjected: 'Scrap what she said - we're going for the Wimbledon title!
"No, just kidding… we haven't thought about that.
"We both return very well and have great volleys, so if one of us hits a good ball we can capitalise on that.
"I'm very confident that Emma is going to put the ball away if I hit a good shot."
World No37 Raducanu - who admitted she is still "wary" in public after he stalker hell - faces Cristina Bucsa in her opening singles match on Tuesday.
Boulter, three places higher than her partner in the WTA rankings, takes on Ajla Tomljanovic.
SunSport has contacted the BBC for comment on the snub, which comes after news that the BBC will have to share broadcast rights to the singles finals at Wimbledon with TNT Sports for the next five years.
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Raducanu had only played one WTA doubles match before
Credit: Getty
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