Bianca Andreescu, the winner of the 2019 women’s title, along with fellow Canadian Carson Branstine, emerged victorious in their matches on Wednesday, progressing to the final stage of the U.S. Open qualifying rounds.

Hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, Andreescu secured a 6-0, 6-3 victory 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’s serve five times out of 12 opportunities, setting up a match for Thursday against either Tamara Zidansek from Slovenia or Guiomar Maristany from Spain.

On the other hand, Branstine achieved a 6-4, 7-5 win over Linda Fruhvirtova from Czechia. The 25-year-old, a dual citizen born in California but representing her mother’s homeland, capitalized on all five break-point chances and delivered 22 winners compared to Fruhvirtova’s eight. Branstine’s upcoming challenge on Thursday will be against Robin Montgomery from the United States for a spot in the main draw.

Andreescu etched her name in history at the 2019 U.S. Open by becoming the first Canadian to clinch a singles Grand Slam title, triumphing over the legendary Serena Williams in the final.

In a contrasting outcome, Vancouver’s experienced player, Rebecca Marino, suffered a defeat of 6-2, 6-4 against Russia’s Elena Pridankina in the second round of qualifying on Wednesday. Meanwhile, in men’s second-round qualifying matches, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Quebec, faced a 7-6 (3), 6-2 loss to Dalibor Svrcina from Czechia. Later in the day, Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ontario, competed against American Andrew Johnson.

Branstine’s previous U.S. Open journey ended in a first-round qualifying loss last year. In 2025, she made her Grand Slam debut by progressing through the Wimbledon qualifiers, defeating her friend and occasional doubles partner Andreescu along the way.