Canadian veteran Rebecca Marino advanced in the U.S. Open women’s singles qualifying round with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over France’s Fiona Fero. The 35-year-old Vancouver native showcased a strong performance, serving eight aces and breaking Fero’s serve on four out of six opportunities.
Having successfully navigated the qualifiers last year, Marino is aiming for a repeat feat at the prestigious Grand Slam event. Her next opponent in the three-round qualifying tournament is Russia’s Elena Pridankina.
Another Canadian player, Carson Branstine, secured her spot in the next round by defeating Clervie Ngounoue from the United States with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (3). Branstine’s upcoming match is against Linda Fruhvirtova from Czechia. However, Kayla Cross from London, Ont., faced a tough loss to Robin Montgomery from the U.S. with a score of 6-1, 6-1.
Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., was set to compete against Eva Vedder from the Netherlands later on Monday.
On the men’s side, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Que., advanced to the second qualifying round after defeating Keegan Smith from the United States with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-3. Galarneau’s next opponent is Dalibor Svrcina from Czechia.
In the mixed doubles qualifying round, the second-seeded team comprising Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa and Harri Heliovaara from Finland suffered an upset, losing 2-4, 4-1, 10-8 to Kristina Mladenovic from France and Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador. Dabrowski is also expected to compete in the women’s doubles event at the U.S. Open, aiming to replicate her success from last year when she clinched the title alongside Erin Routliffe, marking their second U.S. Open championship in three years.