Bianca Andreescu, the titleholder of the 2019 women’s championship, alongside Canadian player Carson Branstine, secured victories on Wednesday to progress to the final stage of U.S. Open qualifying matches.
Hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, Andreescu triumphed with a 6-0, 6-3 result against Veronika Podrez from Ukraine in the second round of the women’s singles qualifying event. During the match, the 26-year-old Canadian managed to break her opponent five times out of 12 opportunities, setting up a forthcoming match on Thursday against 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 with roots in California but representing her mother’s homeland, capitalized on all five of her break-point opportunities 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 chance to secure one of the remaining main-draw spots.
A significant milestone for Andreescu was her historic win at the 2019 U.S. Open, where she became the first Canadian to clinch a singles Grand Slam title by defeating the renowned Serena Williams in the final.
In a contrasting outcome, Vancouver’s experienced player Rebecca Marino faced a defeat of 6-2, 6-4 against Russia’s Elena Pridankina in the second round of qualifying matches on Wednesday. In the men’s segment, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Quebec, suffered a loss of 7-6 (3), 6-2 to Dalibor Svrcina from Czechia. Another Canadian player, Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ontario, was set to play against American Andrew Johnson later the same day.
Both Andreescu and Branstine have a history at the U.S. Open, with Andreescu’s last appearance in 2024 resulting in a defeat against Maria Sakkari in the initial round. Branstine, on the other hand, faced an early exit in the qualifying round of last year’s U.S. Open. Her Grand Slam debut occurred earlier in 2025 at Wimbledon, where she emerged from qualifying, notably defeating her friend and occasional doubles partner, Andreescu, in the process.