Brienne Alexandra Minor (born November 25, 1997) is an American

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player who played her college career at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. On May 29, 2017, she won the 2017 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships, becoming the first African-American woman to win the singles title. This victory also secured Minor a spot in the main draw of the 2017 US Open as a wildcard.

Early life and college career

Minor was raised in

Mundelein, Illinois Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States and a northern suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 31,560, making this the fourth largest town in Lake County. The village straddles ...

. She began playing tennis at the age of four. Minor attended

Carmel High School Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

and during her senior year at Carmel, she went undefeated during the season, winning a state championship in the process. On November 13, 2014, she signed her national letter of intent to play collegiate tennis at the

. Minor had been ranked as the 15th best recruit in the country. During her first season with the Wolverines, Minor finished with a 36–10 record. Her performance earned her spots in both the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

singles and doubles tournaments. She earned all-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

and ITA All-American honors at the end of the season. Minor capped off her sophomore season by winning the 2017 NCAA Division I Women's singles title, the first in Michigan's history. Minor defeated the Florida's

Belinda Woolcock Belinda Woolcock (born 24 January 1995) is an Australian inactive tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of 290 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), achieved on 18 November 2019, and a career-high WTA doubles ranking of 207, r ...

in the final. She was also the first African-American woman to accomplish this feat and the first black athlete to win a singles title since

Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, Grand Slam titles in singles and two in doubles. Ashe was the first Black player selected ...

in 1965. As it is tradition with American NCAA champions, Minor received a wildcard entry into the 2017 US Open. Minor was also named ITA All-American for the second straight year. In her major singles debut at the 2017 US Open, Minor lost to

Ons Jabeur Ons Jabeur (born 28 August 1994) is a Tunisian professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking by the WTA of No. 2, achieved on 27 June 2022, making her the highest-ranked African and Arab tennis player in WTA and ATP ranking ...

in straight sets.

Personal life

Brienne's parents are Kevin and Michelle Minor. She has two older sisters named Jasmine and Kristina. Minor is majoring in sports management. As a big fan of pop singer

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

, Minor received the nickname "Briyoncé," from best friend Caroline Nonnenmacher.

References

External links

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Michigan Wolverines bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minor, Brienne American female tennis players African-American tennis players Living people 1997 births Michigan Wolverines women's tennis players People from Mundelein, Illinois Sportspeople from Lake County, Illinois Tennis players from Illinois 21st-century American sportswomen 21st-century African-American sportswomen