#nika-novak

#nika-novak

In the BNP Paribas Open Round of 128 on Thursday, No. 85-ranked Ajla Tomljanovic faces No. 74 Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Ruse carries -160 odds to claim a win against Tomljanovic (+125).

Top-ranked tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has announced her engagement to Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis. Sabalenka posted a video of the proposal on Instagram, accompanied by the words 'You & me, forever,' along with a ring and heart emoji.

Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.

In response, she said: Yeah, I mean, I was born in America so I'm always proud to represent my country; and yeah, a lot of us are doing really well and it's great to see a lot of, you know, great athletes on the women's side, on the men's side. So yeah, I feel like we're all doing a great job representing ourselves.

Amid the annual upheaval at the Australian Open, of party courts, one-point fairytales, and ever-expanding festivals, some things don't change. Alex de Minaur has had the same locker every year of the 10 he has played at Melbourne Park, and he once again carries the hopes of home fans into the year's first grand slam. On the Groundhog Day repetition of the international circuit, it's the kind of familiarity that might breed superstition.

I don't really feel like there is a lot of house money or underdog mentality that I'm feeling, because I don't feel like I have been playing anything outside of my comfort zone or outside of my normal level, Jovic said. I have come from two other tournaments where I was playing every day and winning a lot of matches, as well.

She had an incredible last year. She's still so young and everything for her is a new experience which is amazing. And what she achieved I think is just incredible. And she's actually my doubles partner this week, so I'm really excited to be playing doubles with with Maya, and she's going to be a little bit nervous for her first match this morning, but she's a quality player. She moves so well on the court, so really excited to see how she goes.