Former Texas A&M Star Carson Branstine earns Wimbledon debut vs. No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka
Former Texas A&M tennis star Carson Branstine has qualified for the Wimbledon Ladies' Singles Main Draw after defeating Raluca Serban in a three-set thriller.
Branstine was battle-tested, having fought through three grueling matches at the French Open. The two-time All-American claimed a trio of three-set victories, including a win over 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu.
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This will be her first appearance at the Championships, scheduled for June 30–July 12 in London, England. She drew a tough opening-round matchup for her Grand Slam debut—World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Branstine even joked about the draw in a lighthearted post on X.
Following her final qualifying win, Branstine reflected on her breakthrough week:
"I'm so tired right now. I don't know how I pulled that out of myself all my matches this week I would argue i had the most difficult draw out of anyone......I had three long three-set matches that where are equally physical in their own ways..."
"I'm just really proud of myself that I found an extra layer of energy"
Branstine was a key member of the 2024 Texas A&M women's tennis team that captured the national title over Georgia. Now, she'll carry that momentum overseas as she heads to England for Wimbledon.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Wimbledon Bound: Branstine punches ticket after three-set thrillers
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Chelsea win extraordinary four-hour Club World Cup match delayed by severe weather and packed with drama
Chelsea will play Palmeiras in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup after defeating Benfica 4-1 in a last 16 game that was suspended for almost two hours by a severe weather warning, saw a controversial equalising penalty converted in stoppage time and was finally won in a flurry of extra-time goals, four hours and 38 minutes after kick off. Advertisement There was 85 minutes on the clock when referee Slavko Vincic signalled for the players to leave the field due to severe weather in the area, a feature of this summer's tournament that is likely to be repeated at next year's World Cup, and the game did not resume until an hour and 55 minutes later. Chelsea's players played football in the dressing room and rode exercise bikes to keep ready but when the game resumed, Benfica were awarded a controversial penalty in stoppage time. Angel Di Maria scored to take the game into extra time and Benfica then had Gianluca Prestianni sent off for a second yellow card but Christopher Nkunku put Chelsea back in front with a smart lifted finish after an error by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall added two more goals before the end as Benfica folded at the end of an extraordinary encounter. Reece James had scored in the 64th minute to open the scoring in a game that kicked off at 4pm ET and ended at The win earns Chelsea a further $13.7m (about £9.8m), taking their estimated total prize money so far to about $54m. Here The Athletic's Oliver Kay and Liam Twomey break down the key talking points. For the sixth time since the Club World Cup began, storms forced a suspension in play. Chelsea were edging their way to a 1-0 victory in Charlotte, with less than five minutes left on the clock, when the referee ordered both teams to leave the pitch and return to the dressing rooms due to what FIFA described as 'severe weather in the area'. It was nearly two hours before the match officials gave the all-clear for play to resume. Storms are a fact of life in the United States at this time of year, particularly in the central and eastern areas of the country — and that creates problems for so many of the host cities for this summer's Club World Cup (and next summer's World Cup). After earlier cases in Orlando (kick-off between Ulsan and Mamelodi Sundowns delayed by 65 minutes) and Cincinnati (Red Bull Salzburg against Pachuca suspended for 97 minutes), this time it was 113 minutes. The match had been petering out, but the hiatus changed everything. Benfica's players looked like they had been let off the leash, Chelsea's as if they had expected to go through the motions for the final minutes. A Benfica equaliser immediately looked likely, even if the nature of it was fortuitous: an Angel Di Maria penalty awarded after a VAR check found Malo Gusto guilty of a handball. Advertisement That meant extra time and, absurdly, more than four hours had passed since the game kicked off. Chelsea ended up victorious after a flurry of goals in the second half of extra time, but for players and spectators alike — both at the stadium and on TV — these delays are challenging to say the least. Oliver Kay After the extraordinary delay, Benfica knew they had five minutes of normal time plus stoppage time to find an equaliser, which they did in controversial fashion when they were awarded a penalty for handball by Malo Gusto. The move began when Benfica were awarded a soft free kick on the edge of the box after Caicedo was judged to have pulled down Di Maria. From that free-kick, Di Mari played the ball to the back post where Gusto jumped didn't connect with his defensive header. Behind him, Nicolas Otamendi did connect with his header, aiming it across the goal. And with Gusto looking towards Otamendi, the ball struck Gusto's raised left arm as he fell. The referee was watching the incident and did not give a penalty but after being called to the replay screen by the VAR he did award one, with Di Maria beating Robert Sanchez. Remarkably, this was the first time that Reece James, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer had all started a game together for Chelsea. Well, perhaps not quite so remarkable when you consider the injuries that have restricted both James and Lavia to so little football over the past two seasons. But this was a glimpse of how Chelsea could look in the season ahead if those injury problems ease: James at right-back, Lavia and Caicedo in central midfield, Fernandez a little more advanced of that duo and Pedro Neto, on this occasion, joining Palmer and Liam Delap further forward. REECE JAMES!!! 🔥 Chelsea have their first goal of the afternoon ⚽ Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #SLBCHE — DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 28, 2025 It was a surprise to see Palmer on the left: presumably a temporary measure, with Chelsea now having agreed a deal to sign England Under-21 winger Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund. Palmer did not look entirely comfortable there, but there were flashes of quality. Likewise from Lavia and Caicedo, who controlled the midfield. Delap's performance was less easy to evaluate, but there were more signs that his speed, aggression and direct running are excellent raw attributes to work with. Advertisement Perhaps the one disappointment was Fernandez. After his strong performances against Los Angeles FC and Esperance de Tunis in the group stage, this was a more difficult afternoon for the Argentina midfielder, facing his former club. The perfect system for Maresca's Chelsea is still to crystallise — and Palmer was far more effective in extra time after moving into a central role — but having James and Lavia fit makes such a difference. Oliver Kay Chelsea might have lost Caicedo even earlier. In the first half a heavy collision with Leandro Barreiro bent his right leg into a worrying arc and left him shouting in pain on the floor. It was the kind of moment that can lead to ligament damage, or worse. Caicedo got back up and played on, as he always does. He is a warrior, but being a warrior has its downsides. 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It does not always overwhelm opponents but there has been plenty of evidence in the United States that it is effective in wearing them down; all five of Palmeiras' goals in this tournament have been scored after half-time, and it was no surprise to see them come on stronger than Botafogo in extra time at Lincoln Financial Field. All eyes will understandably be on Estevao in the quarter-final, but it would be foolish for Maresca and Chelsea to focus solely on their incoming prodigy. Liam Twomey Friday, July 4: Palmeiras, Club World Cup quarter-finals (Philadelphia), 9pm ET, 2am (Saturday) UK You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Klopp Praises Wirtz as Liverpool Make Statement with Record Signing
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
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