Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open women’s champion, and Carson Branstine, both Canadians, emerged victorious in their matches on Wednesday, securing spots in the final round of the U.S. Open qualifying event.
Hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, Andreescu claimed a commanding 6-0, 6-3 victory 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 match for the following day against either Tamara Zidansek from Slovenia or Guiomar Maristany from Spain.
On the other hand, Branstine triumphed with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Linda Fruhvirtova from Czechia. The 25-year-old, who holds dual citizenship and 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 set to face Robin Montgomery from the United States on Thursday to contend for a spot in the main draw.
Andreescu made history at the 2019 U.S. Open by becoming the first Canadian to secure a singles Grand Slam title, defeating the iconic Serena Williams in the final. She last participated in the tournament in 2024, where she was eliminated in the first round by Maria Sakkari.
In contrast, Branstine experienced a first-round exit in the previous year’s U.S. Open qualifying. Her Grand Slam debut took place earlier in 2025 at Wimbledon, where she advanced from the qualifiers, besting her friend and occasional doubles partner, Andreescu, along the way.
In other second-round qualifying matches on Wednesday, Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino fell short against Russia’s Elena Pridankina with a score of 6-2, 6-4. In men’s action, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Quebec, faced a defeat with a score of 7-6 (3), 6-2 against Dalibor Svrcina from Czechia, while Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ontario, was scheduled to play against American Andrew Johnson later in the day.