Bianca Andreescu, the reigning 2019 champion in the women’s category, and her compatriot Carson Branstine, both emerged victorious in their matches on Wednesday to progress to the final phase of the U.S. Open qualifying rounds.
Andreescu, hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, secured a decisive 6-0, 6-3 triumph against Veronika Podrez from Ukraine in the second round of the women’s singles qualifying competition. The 26-year-old Canadian managed to break her opponent’s serve five times out of 12 opportunities, setting up a clash on Thursday with either Tamara Zidansek from Slovenia or Guiomar Maristany from Spain.
On the other hand, Branstine achieved a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Linda Fruhvirtova from Czechia. The 25-year-old athlete, holding dual citizenship as she was born in California but represents her mother’s homeland, capitalized on all five of her break-point chances and delivered 22 winners compared to Fruhvirtova’s eight. Branstine is scheduled to compete against Robin Montgomery from the United States on Thursday for a coveted spot in the main draw.
Notably, Andreescu made history at the 2019 U.S. Open by becoming the first Canadian to clinch a singles Grand Slam title, notably defeating the iconic Serena Williams in the final.
Looking back at previous tournaments, Andreescu last participated in the event in 2024, facing a defeat in the opening round against Maria Sakkari. Conversely, Branstine encountered an early exit in the qualifying round of the U.S. Open last year. Her Grand Slam debut took place earlier this year at Wimbledon, where she progressed through the qualifiers by triumphing over her friend and occasional doubles partner, Andreescu.
In the other second-round qualifying matches held on Wednesday, Vancouver’s experienced player Rebecca Marino suffered a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Elena Pridankina from Russia. Moving on to the men’s division, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Quebec, succumbed to a 7-6 (3), 6-2 defeat against Dalibor Svrcina from Czechia, while Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ontario, faced off against American Andrew Johnson later in the day.
