Canadian veteran Rebecca Marino advanced in the U.S. Open women’s singles qualifying rounds by defeating France’s Fiona Fero 6-1, 6-4. The Vancouver native, aged 35, showcased a strong performance with eight aces and breaking Fero’s serve four times out of six opportunities. Marino had previously made it through the qualifiers last year but was eliminated in the opening round by Leylah Fernandez, another Canadian player.
Marino’s next challenge will be against Elena Pridankina from Russia in the upcoming qualifying matches. Meanwhile, fellow Canadian player Carson Branstine secured a victory with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (3) against Clervie Ngounoue from the United States. Branstine’s next opponent will be Linda Fruhvirtova from Czechia. However, Kayla Cross from London, Ontario, faced a defeat of 6-1, 6-1 against Robin Montgomery from the U.S.
Former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu from Mississauga, Ontario, was scheduled to compete against Eva Vedder from the Netherlands on the same day. In the men’s category, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Quebec, progressed to the second round of qualifiers after defeating Keegan Smith from the United States with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-3. Galarneau’s next opponent will be Dalibor Svrcina from Czechia.
In the mixed doubles qualifying round, the second-seeded team comprising Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa and Harri Heliovaara from Finland faced an upset with a score of 2-4, 4-1, 10-8 against Kristina Mladenovic from France and Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador. Dabrowski is also anticipated to participate in the women’s doubles event at the U.S. Open, aiming to replicate her success from the previous year’s tournament where she clinched the title alongside her former partner, Erin Routliffe, marking their second U.S. Open championship win in three years.