Bianca Andreescu, the reigning women’s champion from 2019, along with Canadian player Carson Branstine, emerged victorious in their matches on Wednesday, securing spots in the final round of U.S. Open qualifying matches.
Andreescu, hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, displayed an impressive performance with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Veronika Podrez from Ukraine in the second round of the women’s singles qualifying event. The 26-year-old Canadian managed to break her opponent five times out of 12 opportunities, setting up a match for Thursday against either Tamara Zidansek from Slovenia or Guiomar Maristany from Spain.
Branstine, a 25-year-old dual citizen born in California who represents her mother’s homeland, sealed a 6-4, 7-5 win against Linda Fruhvirtova from Czechia. She capitalized on all five 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 for a chance to secure one of the remaining main-draw positions.
In a historic moment at the 2019 U.S. Open, Andreescu became the first Canadian to clinch a singles Grand Slam title by defeating the legendary Serena Williams in the final. She last participated in the tournament in 2024, facing a first-round defeat against Maria Sakkari.
On the other hand, Branstine faced a first-round exit in the previous year’s U.S. Open. Her Grand Slam debut took place earlier in 2025 at Wimbledon, where she advanced through the qualifiers, even defeating her friend and occasional doubles partner, Andreescu, in the process.
In additional second-round qualifying matches on Wednesday, Vancouver’s experienced player Rebecca Marino suffered a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Elena Pridankina from Russia. Meanwhile, in men’s second-round qualifying matches, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Quebec, was defeated 7-6 (3), 6-2 by Dalibor Svrcina from Czechia, while Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ontario, faced American Andrew Johnson later in the day.