Branstine beats Andreescu in all-Canadian Wimbledon qualifier, Mboko also wins

WIMBLEDON — Carson Branstine defeated Bianca Andreescu 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-1 in an all-Canadian second-round Wimbledon women’s qualifier on Wednesday.

Branstine was joined in the final round of qualifying by 18-year-old Victoria Mboko of Toronto, who defeated Switzerland’s Valentina Ryser 6-3, 6-3.

The 24-year-old Branstine, a California native who represents Canada through family ties in Toronto, was coming off a first-round upset of top seed and French Open semifinalist Lois Boisson.

Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., struggled on serve, winning just 57 per cent of her first-serve points. The 2019 U.S. Open champion managed only three aces compared to Branstine’s six.

Branstine, who opened her grass season earlier this month with her first WTA Tour main-draw win in the Netherlands, will next face Cyprus’s Raluca Serban with a Wimbledon main-draw berth on the line.

Mboko continued her breakout tennis season by firing seven aces and winning 84 per cent of first serve points against Ryser.

The Canadian was also aggressive on return and converted four of her 17 chances to break.

Mboko, seeded sixth in the qualifying tournament, will face 30th seed Patricia Hon of Australia on Thursday for a spot in the main draw.

Mboko improved her record this year to 44-6, with most of those wins coming on the lower-tier ITF World Tennis Tour circuit.

She made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open, where she advanced to the third round after qualifying for the main draw.

Also Wednesday, Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., lost his second-round men’s qualifier 6-3, 6-2 to Britain’s Oliver Tarvet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025.