Bastian Schweinsteiger stealing limelight from girlfriend Ana Ivanovic

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND // Ana Ivanovic may be one of tennis’s brightest stars but to Naomi Broady’s friends, she is better known as the girlfriend of Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.

After upsetting Ivanovic at the Auckland Classic for her first win over a top-20 player, friends of Britain’s Broady struggled to place the former world No 1.

“Some of my friends don’t follow tennis at all,” Broady, who comes from Stockport near Manchester, told the New Zealand Herald.

“I have messaged them ‘I won, I won’, but it’s like eating humble pie.

“I have to explain to them that I have won a good match and they just don’t get it.

“They are more bothered that I played Schweinsteiger’s girlfriend, I think. They don’t get tennis whatsoever.”

Broady, 25, and ranked 122nd, came through qualifying to make the main draw in Auckland where she beat Ivanovic, the Serbian second seed, 7-5, 6-4 in the first round.

Broady fired down 14 aces to overpower Ivanovic, and another 21 when she beat Latvian Jelena Ostapenko in the second round 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 yesterday.

Broady said that before playing Ivanovic, she was inspired by the 18-year-old Russian Daria Kasatkina’s win over top seed Venus Williams in the first round.

“My coach said before the match the biggest thing would be believing you could win,” Broady said.

“The fact that the young girl went out before me and beat Venus gave me a boost. If she could take out Venus, why couldn’t I take out the No 2 seed?”

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Bastian Schweinsteiger stealing limelight from girlfriend Ana Ivanovic

To friends of Naomi Broady, who beat Ivanovic at Auckland Classic tennis tournament, Serb is better known as girlfriend of Manchester United midfielder.

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