Bianca Andreescu and Carson Branstine, both Canadian players, secured victories on Wednesday to progress to the final round of U.S. Open qualifying matches. Andreescu, hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, defeated Veronika Podrez of Ukraine with a score of 6-0, 6-3 in the women’s singles qualifying tournament. The 26-year-old Canadian managed to break her opponent five times out of 12 opportunities, earning a spot in the upcoming match against either Tamara Zidansek from Slovenia or Guiomar Maristany from Spain.
On the other hand, Branstine achieved a 6-4, 7-5 win against Linda Fruhvirtova from Czechia. The 25-year-old player, who holds dual citizenship and represents her mother’s homeland, capitalized on all five break-point opportunities and delivered 22 winners compared to Fruhvirtova’s eight. Branstine is set to compete against Robin Montgomery from the United States for a chance to secure one of the remaining main-draw positions.
Notably, Andreescu made history at the 2019 U.S. Open by becoming the first Canadian to win a singles Grand Slam, defeating the renowned Serena Williams in the final. She last participated in the tournament in 2024, facing a defeat against Maria Sakkari in the initial round. In contrast, Branstine experienced an early exit in the previous year’s U.S. Open qualifying round. Her Grand Slam debut occurred earlier in 2025 at Wimbledon, where she emerged from qualifying stages by defeating her friend and occasional doubles partner, Andreescu.
In additional second-round qualifying matches, Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino was defeated 6-2, 6-4 by Russia’s Elena Pridankina. Meanwhile, in men’s second-round qualifying clashes, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Quebec, suffered a 7-6 (3), 6-2 loss to Dalibor Svrcina from Czechia. Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ontario, was scheduled to face American Andrew Johnson later in the day.