Bianca Andreescu, the reigning 2019 women’s champion, along with fellow Canadian Carson Branstine, both secured victories on Wednesday to progress to the final round of U.S. Open qualifying matches. Andreescu, hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, triumphed in a 6-0, 6-3 match against 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 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 Czechia’s Linda Fruhvirtova. The 25-year-old, who holds dual citizenship, with roots in California but representing her mother’s homeland, capitalized on all five of her break-point chances and outshined Fruhvirtova with 22 winners to her opponent’s eight. Branstine is scheduled to face Robin Montgomery from the United States on Thursday for a shot at one of the remaining spots in the main draw.
Andreescu made history during the 2019 U.S. Open by becoming the first Canadian to secure a singles Grand Slam title, famously defeating the legendary Serena Williams in the final. She last participated in the tournament in 2024, where she was eliminated in the first round by Maria Sakkari.
Branstine had an early exit in the qualifying round of last year’s U.S. Open but made her Grand Slam debut in 2025 at Wimbledon by advancing through the qualifiers, even defeating her friend and occasional doubles partner, Andreescu, along the way.
In additional second-round qualifying matches on Wednesday, veteran player Rebecca Marino from Vancouver suffered a 6-2, 6-4 defeat against Russia’s Elena Pridankina. Meanwhile, in the men’s second-round qualifying matches, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Quebec, fell short with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 loss to Czechia’s Dalibor Svrcina. Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ontario, was set to face American Andrew Johnson later in the day.