Aryna Sabalenka is the world number one for a reason, having dominated the WTA Tour over the past 12 months.
In 2024, Sabalenka won her maiden US Open title, defeating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in the final.
The Belarusian star will return in 2025 as the defending champion, looking to pick up her first Grand Slam of the year, having lost in the finals of the Australian Open and French Open.
Winning 17 matches at majors this year and not picking up a title will no doubt have frustrated Sabalenka, who continues her search for a fourth Grand Slam.
She isn’t the only one frustrated, however, as one woman who lost to Sabalenka at a Grand Slam earlier this year will now miss out on a chance to avenge her defeat in New York, having lost in the first round of US Open qualifying.
Carson Branstine loses to Wang Xiyu in US Open qualifying
Earlier this year, Canada’s Carson Branstine qualified for her first Grand Slam main draw at Wimbledon.
Handed a nightmare draw in round one, Branstine met Sabalenka, the top seed and tournament favorite.
In straight sets, Branstine fell to Sabalenka 1-6, 5-7, coming up short on Centre Court.
Reflecting on her defeat to the world number one, Branstine said she ‘really badly’ wanted a rematch with Sabalenka.
Unfortunately for Branstine, she won’t get her rematch at Flushing Meadows, as she lost her opening qualifying match.
Taking on China’s Wang Xiyu, Branstine won the first set 6-3, but was unable to hold on to the advantage.
Losing the second and third sets, 3-6, 3-6, Branstine failed to advance, missing out on a US Open debut.
The 24-year-old now holds a 4-2 record in Grand Slam qualifying this year, having previously fallen in round two of the qualifying event in Paris.
| Grand Slam | Round | Opponent | Result | Score |
| French Open | Q1 | Whitney Osuigwe | Win | 6-4, 6-2 |
| French Open | Q2 | Rebeka Masarova | Loss | 0-6, 3-6 |
| Wimbledon | Q1 | Lois Boisson | Win | 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 |
| Wimbledon | Q2 | Bianca Andreescu | Win | 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 |
| Wimbledon | Q3 | Raluca Georgiana Serban | Win | 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 |
| US Open | Q1 | Wang Xiyu | Loss | 6-3, 3-6, 3-6 |
Still looking for her rematch with Sabalenka, Branstine will likely have to wait till 2026, when she’ll attempt to qualify for the Australian Open.
How far away is Carson Branstine from qualifying directly for Grand Slams?
The top 104 players on the WTA Tour qualify directly for Grand Slam main draws each tournament.
Currently ranked 183rd in the world, Branstine has quite some way to go…
Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann was the final direct entrant into this year’s US Open, who currently has 845 ranking points.
In comparison, Branstine has just 395 points to her name (450 points fewer).
To close that 450-point gap, Branstine will need to start picking up some big wins at WTA Tour and Challenger Tour events.
| Tier | W | F | SF | QF | R16 | R32 | R64 | R128 | Q3/Q | Q2 | Q1 |
| Grand Slam | 2,000 | 1,300 | 780 | 430 | 240 | 130 | 70 | 10 | 30 | 20 | 2 |
| WTA 1000 | 1,000 | 650 | 390 | 215 | 120 | 65 | 35 | 10 | 30 | 20 | 2 |
| WTA 500 | 500 | 325 | 195 | 108 | 60 | 32 | 1 | – | 25 | 13 | 1 |
| WTA 250 | 250 | 163 | 98 | 54 | 30 | 1 | – | – | 18 | 12 | 1 |
| W125 | 125 | 81 | 49 | 27 | 15 | 1 | – | – | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| W100 | 100 | 65 | 39 | 21 | 12 | 7 | 1 | – | 5 | 3 | – |
| W75 | 75 | 49 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 1 | – | 3 | 2 | – |
A run to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam would all but do the job for Branstine, but the likelihood is that she’ll need to do the majority of her work at the lower-tiered tournaments.
Earlier this year, Branstine reached her first career W125 final, losing out in Cancun, Mexico, to Colombia’s Emiliana Arango.
If she can begin to produce consistent results at the W100 and W125 level, then perhaps Branstine will make the US Open draw without even needing to qualify this time next year.
Branstine isn’t currently scheduled to compete at any upcoming tournaments, although that could well change in the aftermath of her US Open qualifying defeat.
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