Draft:Amarni Banks

Amarni Banks (born 8 October 2002) is a British professional tennis player. She has a career high singles ranking of No. 250, achieved on 8 April 2024.

Early life
Born in Bolton, Banks started playing tennis aged three years-old. She spent three years as a teenager training in Alicante and Barcelona, before using the LTA National Tennis Centre in Roehampton as her base.

Career
In August 2022, Banks reached the final of the ITF event in Roehampton but lost the final to Chinese player Gao Xinyu.

2023
In the spring of 2023, Banks reached the final at an ITF event in Nottingham with a win over compatriot Emily Appleton, but was defeated in three sets in the final by experienced Australian Arina Rodionova.

At the 2023 GB Pro-Series Shrewsbury event in October 2023, Banks received a wildcard into the main draw and entered the tournament with a world ranking of 432. She recorded victories over seeded players Harriet Dart and Simona Waltert before conquering the second-seed Oceane Dodin on her way to the final. In the final she was defeated by world number 76 Viktorija Golubic.

2024
In March 2024, she defeated the world no. 104 Emina Bektas in straight sets to progress into the Open de Seine-et-Marne quarter finals.

In June 2024, she was awarded a wildcard into qualifying for the singles of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. In the first round she defeated former world number 10 Kristina Mladenovic, and in the second round American 26th seed Kayla Day. In the final round she lost to Canadian Marina Stakusic.

Personal life
Describing herself as from a "sports-mad" family, Banks is also a fan of athletics and attended the 2012 Summer Olympics in London as a spectator. She has cited her tennis inspirations as Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Coco Gauff.