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Carson Branstine was already a fan favorite before she entered the first round of Wimbledon against the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka.
Branstine, of Canada, starred at Texas A&M and helped the Aggies to a national championship before she turned pro. She was able to make the final bracket for Wimbledon after she tore through the qualifying rounds, defeating one-time U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu, Raluca Georgiana Serban and Lois Boisson.
However, what captured the attention of social media before the match against Sabalenka was her status as a fashion model. Branstine is signed with Wilhelmina Models and the Neal Hamil Agency.
She opened up about funding her tennis dreams through modeling in an interview with reporters ahead of Wimbledon earlier this month.
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“I love being in front of the camera during a shoot. It’s fun, I love fashion. It’s been one of the reasons I’ve been able to pay some of my trips. I didn’t want to ask my parents for anything — I wanted everything to come from me and from my tennis,” she said, via Clay.
“I wasn’t signed by these agencies because of my tennis — it was for my look. Modeling and tennis are weirdly similar – you are an object a lot, and people sometimes forget you’re a person too.”
While Branstine fell to Sabalenka in straight sets, she gave the Belarusian a run for her money in the second set, losing 7-5.
She was ranked No. 194 in the world before going up against Sabalenka. She has 136 wins in her career and seven titles in International Tennis Federation events.
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