Canadian tennis 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 four times out of six opportunities. Marino successfully qualified for the U.S. Open last year but was eliminated in the first round by Leylah Fernandez. Her next opponent in the qualifying tournament is Russia’s Elena Pridankina.
Another Canadian, Carson Branstine, secured her spot in the next round by defeating Clervie Ngounoue from the U.S. in a 6-2, 7-6 (3) match. Branstine is scheduled to play against Linda Fruhvirtova from Czechia in the upcoming round. Unfortunately, Kayla Cross from London, Ontario, suffered a defeat against Robin Montgomery from the U.S. with a score of 6-1, 6-1.
On the men’s side, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Quebec, progressed to the second qualifying round after defeating Keegan Smith from the U.S. with scores of 7-6 (4), 6-3. His next opponent will be Dalibor Svrcina from Czechia.
In the mixed doubles qualifying round, the second-seeded team of Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa and Harri Heliovaara from Finland faced an upset by Kristina Mladenovic from France and Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador with a score of 2-4, 4-1, 10-8. Dabrowski is also set to compete in the women’s doubles event at the U.S. Open, aiming to defend her title from last year alongside her former partner, Erin Routliffe.