Serena Williams' fiancee Alexis Ohanian is a resourceful internet entrepreneur who co-founded the hugely popular Reddit just 16 months after he finished university.
Tennis superstar Serena Williams will be cheered on at the ASB Classic by her biggest fan - new fiance, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
The world's highest paid sportswoman broke the news on Reddit in the form of a poem which emerged within hours of her arriving in Auckland this morning for next week's tournament.
Now the Herald can reveal her husband-to-be has also flown in to be at her side.
ASB Classic organisers confirmed this afternoon that Ohanian is in New Zealand too. So far, he has stayed out of sight of media and fans.
Earlier in the day Williams - who has been joined in New Zealand for next week's ASB Classic by her fellow tennis-playing sister Venus - revealed Ohanian, 33, had proposed in Rome.
"I came home. A little late. Someone had a bag packed for me. And a carriage waited. Destination: Rome," Williams, 35, wrote on her verified Reddit account.
"To escort me to my very own 'charming.' Back to where our stars first collided. And now it was full circle. At the same table we first met by chance."
She continued: "But by choice. Down on knee. He said 4 words. And r/isaidyes."
Video screen grab of Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams arriving at Auckland International Airport this morning. Is Alexis behind Serena?
Ohanian also shared the Reddit post on Facebook, simply writing, "She said yes."
When she arrived at Auckland International Airport this morning, Williams kept her left hand (and ring finger) hidden from waiting photographers.
Williams and Ohanian have up to now kept their relationship off social media.
According to the Celebrity Net Worth website, Ohanian, a New Yorker, has a net worth of US$6 million, although that's small compared with his fiancee's estimated US$150m fortune.
His personal motto is "making the world suck less" and he's invested in more than 200 small businesses, each of which he vets personally to ensure they chime with his creedo.
He is also the author of the bestselling 2013 book Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed, which looks at how Reddit was formed and includes his belief that the internet can be harnessed for good.
Serena Williams and her fiance Alexis Ohanian in a Twitter picture.
He's been included twice on Forbes' influential 30 Under 30 list.
The couple first met in 2015 at a lunch and started dating in October of that year.
While they're not the most public of celebrity couples, Ohanian has been supporting Serena's tennis career since they first got together - and he posted a public congratulations on his Instagram when she won the 2016 Wimbledon women's final.
Williams cancelled a scheduled promotional appearance in Auckland this afternoon but had a first training session at the ASB Tennis Centre, where the Classic will be held.
Keeping her left hand hidden wasn't an option then, but there was no ring on the fourth finger, although there were some on her right hand.
The Herald understands Williams is set to pay a fleeting visit to some of the popular beaches west of Auckland tomorrow, and is also likely to have lunch on Waiheke Island time permitting.
The Williams sisters also have a busy Sunday planned - including a charity tennis match with the All Blacks sensations and brothers Ardie and Julian Savea.
The pair are also expected to attend a VIP ASB Classic launch to be held in Mission Bay on Sunday night.
