Sabalenka's Wimbledon foe is Carson Branstine, a qualifier from California, Canada and Texas A&M
LONDON — There are plenty of tennis players who might be daunted by the prospect of making their Grand Slam debut against someone ranked No. 1 and in a big stadium — in this case, Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon's No. 1 Court.
Carson Branstine, though, is embracing the circumstances she'll find herself in Monday. Branstine, 24, is a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen — she was born in California and represents Canada, where her mother is from — and helped Texas A&M win the 2024 NCAA title. She is ranked just inside the top 200, but made it into the women's bracket at the All England Club by winning three matches in qualifying last week.
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New York Times
21 minutes ago
- New York Times
Christian Norgaard to Arsenal: Could Thomas Frank's right-hand man bolster Arteta's midfield?
One of the best moments of Christian Norgaard's career came against a club who could soon be his new employers. Brentford hosted Arsenal on the opening day of the 2021-22 season, the Bees' first game in the top-flight since 1947. Sergi Canos gave Brentford the lead, but it was Norgaard's second-half header that completed a famous victory. He had joined Brentford from Fiorentina in May 2019 and has been a huge part of their success since, helping them earn promotion from the Championship via the play-offs then flourish in the top-flight. For the last two years, he has been their captain but after six seasons in west London, as reported by The Athletic last week, the 31-year-old is edging closer to joining Arsenal, a move that nobody should begrudge him. Advertisement Norgaard's career has been intertwined with former Brentford manager Thomas Frank's. They first started working together over a decade ago when Frank was in charge of Denmark's youth teams. Norgaard was part of Frank's squad at the 2011 Under-17 European Championship and started in a 2-0 victory over an England side which included Jordan Pickford and Raheem Sterling. When Frank managed the under-19s, he appointed Norgaard as captain. At the beginning of 2012, Norgaard left Lyngby to join Hamburg. He never made a competitive appearance for the German side before returning to Denmark with Brondby 18 months later. Frank had just become Brondby's head coach and Norgaard was one of his first signings. He has evolved into a reliable defensive midfielder, but Frank had a different plan for him then. 'Christian is a technically skilled midfielder with good drive and great game intelligence,' Frank said when Brondby announced the deal. 'He covers all the positions in the triangle in central midfield and can possibly be used as a so-called playing winger. 'However, I believe that he is best in the eight and 10 positions. He is strong at setting the play, but is also skilled at landing in dangerous places in the box.' Norgaard spent five years with Brondby before he moved to Fiorentina. He endured a difficult season in Italy and was told he could leave after just 12 months. Frank, who was by now in charge of Brentford, contacted him about another reunion. 'They had Kamohelo Mokotjo and Romaine Sawyers who were fantastic ball players but (Brentford) needed someone who could close the gap between midfield and defence and they thought I did that very well,' Norgaard told The Athletic's audio documentary Access All Areas: Brentford in July 2023. 'They have got all of their (data) metrics and I saw all of these green lights in front of my name. It was clear that their ambition was to reach the Premier League within two years. You could just sense that Brentford were doing something different than a lot of other clubs and I wanted to be part of that.' Earlier this month, Frank left Brentford to become Tottenham Hotspur's new head coach. Norgaard is set to follow him to north London, but there will be no reunion this time around. Instead Norgaard is expected to link up with his former team-mate David Raya at Arsenal, and for the first time in their careers, Frank and Norgaard will be working against each other. Advertisement It is easy to see why Norgaard appeals to Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta. He might not possess the same quality in possession as Jorginho or Thomas Partey but he is far more reliable defensively. Jorginho has joined Flamengo while Partey, as reported on Sunday, will leave when his contract expires today. He ranked in the bottom 50 per cent of Premier League midfielders for 'true' tackle attempts per 1000 opposition touches last season, a metric that measures how often a player looks to 'stick a foot in' when his team are without the ball. This suggests he is not the most active or aggressive player but he is excellent at positioning his body to disrupt passing lanes. When fully fit, Norgaard was guaranteed to start for Brentford. He played 122 times for them in the Premier League, making at least 31 appearances in three out of the last four seasons. He missed 10 games in the 2022-23 campaign with an Achilles injury but returned for their 2-1 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad before representing Denmark at the World Cup. He would become a valuable squad option at Arsenal; his presence would offer Arteta the option of resting Declan Rice and the incoming Martin Zubimendi when required. Brentford used different formations under Frank, including 3-5-2, 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1. Norgaard acted as the deepest-lying midfielder in all of them and was responsible for holding the team together while others pushed forward. Last season, Norgaard sat alongside Yehor Yarmoliuk or Vitaly Janelt behind Mikkel Damsgaard in the 4-2-3-1 system. Yarmoliuk and Janelt are more dynamic than Norgaard so they were encouraged to crash the box. Norgaard would drop deep to receive the ball from goalkeeper Mark Flekken with his back to play and fizz first-time passes out wide to the full-backs. Norgaard can perform a similar role at Arsenal to allow Rice and Martin Odegaard to concentrate on breaking down the opposition. An added bonus is that Norgaard is also a threat from set pieces. He scored 11 league goals for Brentford including a fierce volley in a 3-2 defeat to Fulham in August 2022. Norgaard has only been sent off once for Brentford, in a 0-0 draw with Everton at Goodison Park last November. He attempted to score after an Ethan Pinnock's header from a throw-in routine, but instead caught Pickford's ankle. He was sent off following a VAR check but the red card was rescinded on appeal. Advertisement Gabriel Martinelli thought he should have been sent off for a 'nasty' challenge when Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brentford in April. Norgaard apologised to Martinelli and said: 'There was no evil intention in the tackle but looking back at it it was probably a bit harder than I wanted it to be.' Norgaard's only experience of European competition is reaching the Europa League qualifying rounds with Brondby. However, he should be able to handle the step up to the Champions League as he has been capped 35 times for Denmark, including their 2-1 defeat to England after extra time in the semi-finals of Euro 2020. From Arsenal's perspective, they could have had a much better deal. Norgaard entered the final six months of his contract at Brentford in January which meant he was free to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs. That obviously wouldn't have applied to Arsenal, but had Norgaard been aware of their interest, perhaps he might have allowed his contract to expire and left on a free transfer. In the event, he signed a new two-year deal with Brentford towards the end of March, telling The Athletic that director of football Phil Giles was a 'tough negotiator'. Andrea Berta only started his role as Arsenal's new sporting director in March, which might explain why their plans for the summer transfer window had not taken complete shape by that point. With that in mind, you could argue then that would be a fantastic deal for Brentford. They will receive around £9million ($12.3m) for a 31-year-old who could have left for nothing. Janelt can cover Norgaard as the holding midfielder while Brentford have high hopes for 19-year-old Yunus Emre Konak. With the money they have received from selling Norgaard, Mark Flekken and potentially Bryan Mbeumo, they will have more than enough to acquire a replacement. The bigger question is whether it is wise for Brentford to let their head coach, captain and top goalscorer all leave in the same summer. For Arsenal, they will hope that adding Norgaard's experience and leadership can help them to take that final step under Arteta and win the Premier League or Champions League.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Gronk Names His No. 1 Tight End And It's 'Easy' for Kittle
Gronk Names His No. 1 Tight End And It's 'Easy' for Kittle originally appeared on Athlon Sports. You wanna argue with Rob Gronkowski? We recently suggested - amid George Kittle's funny pre-retirement announcement - that the San Francisco 49ers star is "the best all-around tight end in the NFL.'' Advertisement His pass-catching numbers from 2024 do not scream that. But "Gronk,'' a four-time Super Bowl champion and one of the sport's legendary players at that position, was on 'Hot Ones Versus' and was asked to rank the game's top tight ends of today. And he did No. 1 with no hesitation. 'All right, this is easy. I'm going to answer, totally,' Gronkowski said. 'George Kittle, by far. He was All-Pro last year. He had over 1,000 yards. He had over 10 touchdowns. "The best in the game right now so that's an easy No. 1.' In 2024, he finished with 78 catches for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns despite a major down year for the team. ... and with the stars around him regularly dropping out due to injury. Advertisement He is now at age 31, and while we (and Gronk) say the Kittle arrow remains pointing up, Kittle knows the end is inevitable. And when he's done starring for the 49ers, maybe with another Super Bowl appearance on his resume? Kittle, whose status as one of the most productive offensive players in the league is what helped him earn a four-year $76.4 million deal this offseason - making him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history - has. vision. As he revealed on the "Bussin with the Boys" podcast, there is a window here. 'I don't know, I think if I get to 35 and it hurts to put pants on in the morning, I think I'll be like, 'Ah, this isn't that much fun anymore,' and I'll have a conversation with myself. But I'm feeling great right now.' Advertisement And Gronk is buying into that very same greatness. Related: Kittle To Let Wife And WWE Guide His Retirement Plan from 49ers This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
49ers Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir Arrested in Strange Thursday Incident
49ers Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir Arrested in Strange Thursday Incident originally appeared on Athlon Sports. San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was arrested in Los Angeles on Thurdsday after reportedly resisting search by a peace officer, according to Advertisement Police reportedly approached a vehicle and upon seeing a gun parked in the car, asked for the keys to be handed over. And then, in what we would describe as a series of strange alleged behavior … The individual tossed the keys to Lenoir, who reportedly refused to allow the officers access to the car. He also attempted throwing the keys to a third suspect that was trying to hide from the officers. The reason for the initial police stop is unknown. The official charges for Lenoir, 25, remain unclear. TMZ reports that he is being charged with resisting a peace officer, while claims he is charged with obstruction of justice. Advertisement According to jail records, Lenoir was released Friday morning and is reportedly scheduled to appear in court next month. Lenoir was the 49ers' fifth-round draft pick in 2021 and has solidified his spot in the starting lineup over the last few years. Last season, Lenoir racked up a career-high 85 tackles, two interceptions, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 15 games played. The Los Angeles native will enter his fifth season in the NFL after signing a five-year, $92 million contract extension in November to stay with the Niners. Related: Gronk Names His No. 1 Tight End And It's 'Easy' for Kittle Related: 49ers Aiyuk Laughs At Past Trade Rumors Amid ACL Injury This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
