Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 champion at the U.S. Open, along with fellow Canadian Carson Branstine, both secured victories on Wednesday to progress to the final stage of U.S. Open qualifying. Andreescu, hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, triumphed with a 6-0, 6-3 win against Ukraine’s Veronika Podrez 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 chances, earning her a match on Thursday against either Tamara Zidansek from Slovenia or Guiomar Maristany from Spain.
On the other hand, Branstine clinched a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Czechia’s Linda Fruhvirtova. The 25-year-old, who holds dual citizenship and was born in California but 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 on Thursday for a remaining spot in the main draw.
Andreescu made history in 2019 at the U.S. Open by becoming the first Canadian to secure a singles Grand Slam title, defeating the iconic Serena Williams in the final. In her last appearance at the tournament in 2024, she was eliminated in the first round by Maria Sakkari. Conversely, Branstine faced a first-round exit in last year’s U.S. Open qualifying. Her Grand Slam debut occurred earlier in 2025 at Wimbledon, where she progressed through qualifying, defeating her friend and occasional doubles partner, Andreescu, along the way.
In additional second-round qualifying matches on Wednesday, Vancouver’s seasoned player Rebecca Marino suffered a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Russia’s Elena Pridankina. On the men’s side, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Quebec, was defeated 7-6 (3), 6-2 by Czechia’s Dalibor Svrcina. Later on Wednesday, Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ontario, faced American Andrew Johnson in his second-round qualifying match.