Rebecca Marino, hailing from Vancouver, delivered a stellar performance in her quest to qualify for the 145th U.S. Open Tennis Championships in New York. After a strong start, Marino faced a tough challenge against Lanlana Tararudee from Thailand. Marino won the first set 6-3 but then struggled, losing the second set 6-2 and falling behind 5-3 in the third set. However, she managed to save two match points and staged an impressive comeback, ultimately winning the match 7-5 after a grueling two hours and 11 minutes.
Despite having more double faults (8-6) and fewer aces (9-8) than Tararudee, Marino showcased her resilience in the final set. She broke Tararudee twice to secure the victory. Marino capitalized on four out of five break points, while Tararudee only converted four out of 11. Marino’s strong first-serve performance, winning 67% of her points, played a crucial role in her triumph.
Following her hard-fought win, the 34-year-old Marino is set to face Mai Hontama from Japan in the next round of the qualifiers.
In other matches on Monday, Carson Branstine, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, faced Xiyu Wang of China. Branstine took the first set 6-3 but struggled in the following sets, eventually losing the match 6-3, 6-3. Despite earning 70% of her points on the first serve, Branstine struggled with 52 unforced errors and only managed one ace.
Additionally, Alexis Galarneau from Laval, Que., suffered a defeat in his men’s singles match against Dino Prizmic of Croatia. Prizmic emerged victorious with a 6-7 (7), 1-6 scoreline in the one hour and 40-minute encounter. Both players displayed a strong performance on their first serves, with Prizmic leading in key statistical categories.
The U.S. Open kicked off on Sunday, with matches scheduled over a 15-day period. The tournament will culminate with the women’s singles final on Sept. 6 and the men’s singles final on Sept. 7. Defending champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner are among the top seeds, with tennis icon Venus Williams making a noteworthy return to Grand Slam competition at the age of 45.