"Really nice to have someone I can actually trust" - Carson Branstine opens up about close friendship with Bianca Andreescu despite tennis rivalry

Carson Branstine and Bianca Andreescu are two of the most promising young Canadian tennis stars. Despite being rivals on the court, the duo share a close bond, and Branstine recently opened up about what Andreescu’s friendship means to her.

Branstine and Andreescu were a dominant pair on the junior doubles circuit in 2017. That year, the duo were crowned the girls doubles champions at both the Australian Open and the French Open. Later in the season, they also made the finals of the WTA Tournoi de Québec, where they lost to first seeds Tímea Babos and Andrea Hlaváčková.

Soon after 2017, Branstine shifted her focus to collegiate tennis in the USA as she dealt with injuries, while Andreescu moved on to senior competitions, winning the 2019 US Open. Now, Carson Branstine is back on the WTA Tour. Reflecting on being reunited with Bianca Andreescu in senior competitions, the 24-year-old told The Slice Tennis,

“I love that we're together again and we're able to lean on each other because she is someone who's very close to me through juniors and we play doubles with each other a lot. We have some incredible memories and experiences. So yeah, it's really nice to be in the same environment as her again and have someone I can actually trust that has my best interest.

Since reuniting on the WTA Tour, Branstine and Andreescu have reignited their doubles partnership, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2025 Libema Open.

Carson Branstine on competing against Bianca Andreescu

Branstine and Andreescu at the Libema Open Grass Court Championships (Image Source: Getty)

While Carson Branstine and Bianca Andreescu share a close friendship away from the tennis courts, the duo turn to rivals when they face each other on the opposite sides of the net. Their most recent encounter came in the qualifying rounds of the ongoing Wimbledon Championships, where Branstine got the better of her compatriot.

Speaking to The Slice Tennis about the duo's on-court rivalry, the Canadian said,

“Being on the opposite side of the net and playing against each other, it's not easy at all because at the end of the day, it's like, yeah, you want to win the match and I'll do anything I can to win, but it's still respectable. And I think if anyone watched the match, they can tell that we clearly respect each other and that we just were fighting to win a tennis match. There was nothing beyond it. And afterwards, we talked, we hugged."

Over the years, Carson Branstine and Bianca Andreescu have both struggled with injuries and illnesses that have kept them from reaching their full potential. As the duo gear up to compete in the WTA side-by-side, fans will be rooting for them to replicate the success of their junior levels.