Canadian veteran Rebecca Marino advanced in the first-round qualifying match for the U.S. Open women’s singles, defeating France’s Fiona Fero 6-1, 6-4 on Monday. The 35-year-old player from Vancouver showcased a strong performance with eight aces and breaking Fero four times out of six opportunities.
Having successfully navigated the qualifying rounds last year, Marino is aiming for a repeat in this year’s tournament. She is now set to compete against Russia’s Elena Pridankina in the upcoming rounds. Additionally, Canadian player Carson Branstine secured a victory against Clervie Ngounoue from the United States with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (3) and will next face Czechia’s Linda Fruhvirtova. Unfortunately, Kayla Cross from London, Ont., faced a defeat of 6-1, 6-1 against Robin Montgomery from the U.S.
Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., was scheduled to play against Eva Vedder from the Netherlands later in the day. In the men’s category, Alexis Galarneau from Levis, Que., advanced to the next qualifying round after defeating Keegan Smith from the United States with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-3. Galarneau will now face Czechia’s Dalibor Svrcina in the upcoming match.
In the mixed doubles qualifying round, the second-seeded team of Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa and Harri Heliovaara from Finland suffered an upset, losing 2-4, 4-1, 10-8 to Kristina Mladenovic from France and Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador. Dabrowski is also expected to participate in the women’s doubles event at the U.S. Open, aiming to replicate her success from last year when she claimed the title alongside former partner Erin Routliffe, marking their second U.S. Open championship in three years.
