stakusic
A comeback victory by Marina Stakusic has the Canadian within striking distance of making her Grand Slam debut.
The 19-year-old Stakusic, from Mississauga, Ont., beat No. 16 qualifying seed Chloé Paquet of France 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the second round of Wimbledon qualifying on Thursday.
Stakusic will face Amarni Banks of Great Britain in the final round of qualifying on Friday, with the winner earning a spot in next week’s main draw.
Stakusic made headlines last year when she helped Canada win the Billie Jean King Cup. She is currently ranked 164th in the world.
Banks is ranked 258th.
Meanwhile, Canadians Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau were both eliminated in the second round of qualifying.
Diallo lost 6-4, 7-6 (5) to No. 8 qualifying seed Daniel Elahi Galán of Colombia, while Galarneau lost 6-1, 6-0 to French veteran Richard Gasquet.