Britain's No 2 female tennis player Heather Watson appears to have found her perfect 'love match', Yeovil Town footballer Courtney Duffus.

The pair met ahead of Wimbledon last summer and have been dating ever since despite Watson's 'no dating footballers' rule.

Watson, 27, said: "I went out to dinner with friend [fellow tennis player] Naomi Broady.

“You know at a restaurant when you book the table and they say, ‘Oh can you wait at the bar?’ It was there where we met. The first thing they did was buy us shots. It was good fun."

Since then, the pair appear to have proved lucky charms for eac other as Duffus, 24, scored a hat-trick in Yeovil's 6-2 win over Torquay on Boxing Day when Watson was watching.

And she admits the Irishman has also had a positive influence on her game adding: "since we both met each other we're both doing a lot better! 

"He had a big part to play. He's super positive." 

After making the Hobart International semi-finals last week, she said: "I've been playing really good tennis. I'm happy on and off the court and just enjoying my time in Australia so far.

“In life in general I feel in a very good place, very happy, the support system around me is great. That’s really showing with my tennis and my results the last five, six months or so.

"I don't like to let boys have too much influence over me but he has really been a good influence.

Watson beings her Australian Open campaign on Tuesday against Czech player Kristyna Pliskova and will be hoping her new-found happiness can help her advance further than a Grand Slam third-round for the first time.