Kate Middleton’s new tennis friend! Duchess put on a VERY friendly display with Martina Hingis (but were they introduced by mutual pal Roger Federer?)

• Kate Middleton, 40,  attended Wimbledon 2022 yesterday for the women’s final 
• She watched Elena Rybakina, 23, beat Tunisian Ons Jabeur, 27 in thrilling match
• Duchess looked delighted as she greeted former champion Martina Hingis
• Not known if the women are friends, but they share mutual pal Roger Federer

Kate Middleton was snapped looking very friendly with Martina Hingis yesterday, as she attended the women’s final at Wimbledon.

The duchess, 40, couldn’t contain her emotion during yesterday’s thrilling match, as she watched Russian-born Elena Rybakina beat Tunisian third seed Ons Jabeur.

She appeared equally excited to greet former Wimbledon champion Martina Hingis, 41, beaming as the pair came together in the Royal Box.

It is not known if the two women have met previously or are friends, however, they are believed to share a mutual pal in Roger Federer.

Kate Middleton appeared to be delighted as she saw Martina Hingis in the Royal Box at Wimbledon yesterday, ahead of the women’s final

While it is not known whether the women are friends, or whether they have met before, they appeared to share a friendly chat ahead of the tennis action

Martina Hingis (pictured), 41, was a tennis prodigy, winning the prestigious singles title in 1997, aged just 16

Kate is patron of the Lawn Tennis Association and a regular fixture at Wimbledon. 

Swiss player Martina, who won the Wimbledon Women’s Singles in 1997, is around the same age as Kate. 

And the women certainly appeared happy to see each other, with photos showing them smiling widely as they interacted at the event, during which they joined other stars including Tom Cruise and Ellie Goulding in the Royal Box.

For her appearance – her second at Wimbledon 2022 after watching Cameron Norrie on Tuesday – the duchess donned a vibrant yellow custom Roksanda dress, first worn during her tour of the Caribbean earlier this year.

The bespoke piece, featuring a wrap top and a billowing skirt, appears to have been inspired by the £1,095 Brigitte midi dress in marigold by the designer label. Kate’s has been designed with short sleeves, but a sleeveless version is available. 

The mother-of-three swept her long brunette locks back from her face in a bouncy blow dry. She kept her makeup neutral for the occasion, opting for a sweep of dark eyeliner and a touch of lipstick.

The royal mother-of-three, who is an avid tennis fan, chatted away to Martina Hingis in the royal box ahead of the start of the match yesterday

The Swiss player, who won the Wimbledon Women’s Singles in 1997, is around the same age as Kate, and the two chatted animatedly ahead of the match 

The Duchess appeared delighted to be speaking to Swiss player Martina in the royal box yesterday afternoon ahead of the women’s final 

Keeping her look simple, the duchess opted for minimal jewellery – but added some glitz to her look with a pair of chunky gold earrings. 

Throughout the final, the royal was seen gasping, cheering and even hiding her face as the players battled it out on the court.

The match saw Ons Jabeur, who is African, Arab and a Muslim – three significantly under-represented demographics in tennis, and Russian-born Elena Rybakina, who was playing under the flag of Kazakhstan, take to Centre Court.

Rybakina rallied from a set down to deny Jabeur her own slice of history with a 3-6 6-2 6-2 victory over the Tunisian world No.2 in Saturday’s showdown at the All England Club.

The Duchess glanced across Centre Court ahead of the match beginning as the crowd cheered for the two female players 

The match saw Ons Jabeur, who is African, Arab and a Muslim – three significantly under-represented demographics in tennis, and Russian-born Elena Rybakina, who was playing under the flag of Kazakhstan , take to Centre Court

Elena (left) with the The Venus Rosewater Dish after defeating Ons in The Final of the Ladies’ Singles on day thirteen of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

The 23-year-old Rybakina is also the youngest women’s Wimbledon champion since Petra Kvitova in 2011 after reducing Jabeur to a frustrated wreck during the one-hour, 48-minute title decider.

Kate is patron of the Lawn Tennis Association and a regular fixture at Wimbledon. Yesterday marked her second appearance at the championship this year. 

She is an avid tennis fan and is a frequent fixture at Wimbledon in her role as Patron of the All England Club. 

The family even have a court at their country home, Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

In April, The Duchess was spotted enjoying a spot of tennis with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at the exclusive Hurlingham Club, in Fulham, where annual membership costs from £1,600-a-year. 

The Duchess has incorporated tennis into a number of royal engagements, most recently joining Emma Raducanu on court for a homecoming victory match following her US Open win. 

Kate Middleton’s VERY excited greeting for Martina Hingis 

While the Royal Box is full of celebrities and A-listers every year, it appears even Kate was excited by one attendee yesterda.

The Duchess appeared delighted when she spotted Swiss tennis ace Martina Hingis.

The royal mother-of-three was beaming as she greeted Martina, with the two going on to chat for a short time before the match.

While it is not known if the women have met before, or if they are indeed friends, the Duchess is an avid tennis fan.

Meanwhile they are also around a similar age and both have children around the same age. Martina gave birth to her daughter Lina in 2019, the same year Kate had her son, Louis. 

Hingis was a child prodigy and the youngest ever grand slam champion, winning the women’s doubles with Helena Sukova at Wimbledon in 1996 at the age of just 15.

The following year she dominated in singles, winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles and reaching the French Open final.

She was ranked world number one aged 16. But Hingis began to struggle with ankle problems and announced her retirement from tennis in 2003 aged just 22.

Four years later Hingis returned with more success, winning two WTA Tour singles events in 2006 and qualifying for the WTA Finals as well as winning her first mixed doubles grand slam title.

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