Canadian veteran Rebecca Marino has advanced one step closer to securing a spot in the U.S. Open women’s singles main draw for the second consecutive year. She achieved a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory over France’s Fiona Fero in the initial qualifying round on Monday. The 35-year-old Vancouver native showcased her prowess with eight aces and capitalized on four out of six break opportunities against Fero.
Last year, Marino successfully navigated the qualifying rounds at the U.S. Open but faced a first-round defeat against compatriot Leylah Fernandez. Her next challenge in the three-round qualifying event will be against Russia’s Elena Pridankina. Additionally, Carson Branstine, another Canadian contender, secured progression by defeating Clervie Ngounoue from the United States with a scoreline of 6-2, 7-6 (3). Branstine is now set to clash with Linda Fruhvirtova from Czechia. However, Kayla Cross from London, Ont., experienced a setback as she succumbed to a 6-1, 6-1 loss against Robin Montgomery of the U.S.
Former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu, hailing from Mississauga, Ont., was slated to compete against Eva Vedder from the Netherlands later in the day. In the men’s category, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Que., progressed to the second round of qualifying matches following a 7-6 (4), 6-3 triumph over Keegan Smith of the United States. Galarneau’s next opponent will be Dalibor Svrcina from Czechia.
Shifting focus to the mixed doubles qualifying round, the second-seeded pair comprising Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa and Harri Heliovaara from Finland faced an unexpected defeat. They were ousted by Kristina Mladenovic from France and Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador with a score of 2-4, 4-1, 10-8. Dabrowski is also anticipated to participate in the women’s doubles event at the U.S. Open. She clinched the title last year alongside former partner Erin Routliffe, marking their second U.S. Open triumph in three years.