CBC Lite Sections Sports • Tennis Andreescu, fellow Canadian Draxl lose in final round of U.S. Open qualifying ROUNDUPThe Canadian Press | Posted: August 28, 2026 8:37 PM | Last Updated: August 28 Teammates Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov in men's main draw that begins Sunday Image | Canadian tennis players Bianca Andreescu, Liam Draxl Caption: From left: Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 women's U.S. Open champion, fell 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek in the final qualifying round Friday, while fellow Canadian Liam Draxl dropped a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7) decision to Australia's Tristan Schoolkate. (Dave Shopland/Associated Press, Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images/File) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab No Canadians will enter the singles draws at the U.S. Open through the qualifying tournament after Bianca Andreescu and Liam Draxl lost in final round action Friday in New York. Andreescu fell 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek. The 2019 U.S. Open women's champion from Mississauga, Ont., fired seven aces across the two-hour 44-minute match but struggled on net points, winning just 10 of the 21 available. The match started Thursday but had to be suspended due to rain. Andreescu was up 2-0 at the time. Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., also had his qualifying match against Australia's Tristan Schoolkate pushed to Friday before losing 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7). * Andreescu, Branstine advance to U.S. Open final qualifying round * Andreescu bounced from NBO, compatriot Kayla Cross secures 1st WTA win Both players scored four breaks, but Schoolkate was the last to win against serve to go up 4-3 in the third set and erase an early Draxl advantage. Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., will be on the men's side when main draw action begins Sunday, while 2021 runner-up Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., will be on the women's side. Sabalenka, Pegula want prize money boost, new player council Aryna Sabalenka ​and Jessica Pegula praised the U.S. Open's record prize money allocation and the creation of a Grand Slam player advisory council, saying calls for competitors to get a larger share of the revenue were beginning to gain traction. The U.S. Open announced a ‌record $108 million US prize purse for this year's tournament, while the four Grand Slams unveiled plans for an advisory council following growing pressure from leading players for increased prize money and a bigger role in decisions affecting the sport. World No. 1 Sabalenka, a ​vocal supporter of efforts to improve player compensation, said ​the developments could help ease tensions between players and tournament organizers. "We're super happy … that we're finally getting to the point where we wanted to be at ​the very beginning," the Belarusian told reporters on Friday. * Djokovic-Sabalenka, Williams-Alcaraz suffer first-round losses in U.S. Open mixed doubles "Hopefully we're not gonna boycott ⁠media or tournament or anything ⁠in the future. We all going to be ‌happy, and that's all we wanted from the very beginning." Sabalenka and men's world No. 1 Jannik Sinner were among the top players who limited their pre-tournament media availabilities at the French Open and Wimbledon this year to 15 minutes as part of ⁠a protest to demand a higher percentage of tournament revenue for prize money. Unity helped in player council talks The 15-minute limit was intended to symbolize the roughly 15 per cent of tournament revenue that the tournaments allocated to player prize money. * More tennis coverage American Pegula, ‌who has taken on a leadership role in discussions involving players and tennis' governing bodies, said unity between the men's and women's tours had helped produce tangible progress. "I think it's been amazing what the players have been able to accomplish," Pegula said. "They have never ​had anything like this as far as with the slams being able to generate a council, also the player welfare contribution, ⁠and then another increase in prize money." The world No. 3 said the initiatives reflected sustained pressure from ⁠players as they seek a greater voice in a sport long criticized for its fragmented ⁠structure. More Stories Like This The related links below are generated automatically based on the story you’ve just read. Loading... 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