It is With a Heavy Heart We Report the Wimbledon Dream is Over for Professional Model Carson Branstine of Texas A&M, a/k/a 'The Goddess of Olympus'

Marleen Fouchier. Shutterstock Images.

And so ends what was shaping up to be one of the great Cinderella stories of our time. Insert whatever tired, overused March Madness cliche you want about lost slippers and carriages turning back into pie ingredients, the fact is Carson Branstine has lost her match at Wimbledon:

Not that the former National Champion for the Texas A&M Aggies and now professional model was under any delusion that she was in the fight of her life against the No. 1 seed:

It's just that she had been on an absolute heater lately, just to qualify for the world's oldest and most prestigious Grand Slam event:

The Sun -  Branstine, 24, has gone through a different path than many tennis stars to reach SW19.

The Canadian is currently ranked world No 190 and has had to find other ways of financing her WTA tour career.

The stunning brunette has been able to earn enough money through modelling to pay for her tennis expenses.

Branstine has opened up about juggling the two different jobs and insisted that she did not want a handout.

She said: "I love being in front of the camera during a shoot. It's fun, I love fashion. …

"I wasn't signed by these agencies because of my tennis, it was for my look." …

You've got to admire a woman who has the self-confidence to be judged on her looks and the attributes to be a success. Let us pause here a moment to see if she has good reason to love being in front of the camera:

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No argument here. Let's get back to the narrative:

She reached Wimbledon through the qualifying rounds.

She won three matches, including a victory against Lois Boisson, who was a French Open semi-finalist. …

And fans are usually full of praise for her looks as she has been hailed "beyond gorgeous."

While other fans have called her "Goddess of Olympus" and "perfection".

Branstine has seen her tennis career stall in the past due to injuries.

She endured FIVE YEARS on the sidelines as she needed surgeries on both hips and both knees.

That last part is especially impressive. And would've made a longer run at Wimbledon and even greater story. An underdog story for the ages. But when you're ranked 197th and facing the 1-seed, well longshots don't get any longer or shottier than that. 

Unfortunately, sports are not always a fairy tale. Reality gets a vote. And it can be a cruel mistress, indeed. Often indifferent to what we want, and giving us what we deserve. 

Still, there's always next year. And more Grand Slam events before 2025 is over. So hope remains alive. If nothing else, Branstine gave us a momentary thrill. And an iconic hair moment the likes of which Wimbledon will not see again until she returns:

Until then, at least we know she'll still have her other career to fall back on.