Galarneau closes in on Wimbledon berth with first-round qualifying victory

Alexis Galarneau hits a return to Jan-Lennard Struff during the first round of the Stuttgart Open tennis tournament, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Stuttgart, Germany. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP)

LONDON — Canada’s Alexis Galarneau advanced to the second round of Wimbledon qualifying with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Argentina’s Facundo Díaz Acosta on Monday.

Galarneau scored five breaks on 10 chances to move a step closer to appearing in the grass-court Grand Slam.

The 27-year-old from Laval, Que., is looking for his first appearance in a Grand Slam main draw. He advanced to the third and final round of French Open qualifying this year but lost in three sets to Italy’s Federico Cina.

Galarneau will next face British wild-card Oliver Tarvet on Wednesday. Tarvet defeated Galarneau in the second round of Wimbledon qualifying last year.

Later Monday, Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., lost his opening qualifying match 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1 to Switzerland’s Remy Bertola.

The women’s qualifying tournament begins Tuesday. Bianca Andreescu, Kayla Cross, Carol Zhao and Cadence Brace are the Canadians chasing a main-draw spot.


This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2026

The Canadian Press