Canadian tennis player Cadence Brace advanced closer to securing her first Grand Slam main draw spot after defeating Japan’s Nao Hibino in a hard-fought 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory during the U.S. Open qualifying rounds held in New York on Tuesday.
Brace, alongside experienced compatriot Carol Zhao, progressed to the second round of the women’s qualifiers. Zhao triumphed over 15th seed Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina with a score of 7-6 (8), 6-2.
Hailing from Toronto, the 20-year-old Brace made an impressive Grand Slam qualifying debut by seizing six out of seven break-point opportunities in a match where both players grappled to maintain their serves.
Despite Hibino, aged 30, capitalizing on five out of six break chances, Brace managed to break her opponent’s serve three times to secure the decisive third set victory. Brace is set to face 32nd-seed Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia in the upcoming round, with the winner earning a shot against either Claire Liu from the United States or Australia’s Maddison Inglis for a place in the main draw.
On the other hand, Zhao, a 30-year-old player from Richmond Hill, Ont., clinched her sixth break in the final game to upset Carle as she aims for her second Grand Slam entry following her qualification for Wimbledon in 2023. Zhao’s next opponent will emerge from the match between Italy’s Lucrezia Stefanini and Russia’s Vitalia Diatchenko.
Elsewhere, Belgium’s Hanne Vandewinkel overcame Marina Stakusic from Mississauga, Ont., with a score of 6-3, 6-2. In the men’s category, France’s Kyrian Jacquet outplayed seventh seed Liam Draxl from Newmarket, Ont., with a score of 7-5, 6-2.
Stakusic, aged 20, sought to secure her second Grand Slam main draw appearance, while Draxl, aged 23, is yet to make his debut in a major tennis tournament.