Zheng Among 2026 US Open Main Draw Wild Cards; Seven Teens Receive Qualifying Wild Cards, with Playoff Introduced for Final Qualifying Wild Card; Tennis Recruiting Network's Coverage of Last Week's USTA National Championships Begins

The US Open wild cards were announced today, a day earlier than they have been released the past two years, and both the men's and the women's main draw list features a "to be announced" entry.

Veterans Venus Williams, a two-time US Open women's singles champion, and Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open women's singles champion, are the only discretionary wild cards awarded; the other five were earned or reciprocal: Carol Lee(Georgia Tech), who won the annual Wild Card Challenge; Reese Brantmeier(North Carolina), who won the USTA Collegiate Playoff; Thea Frodin, the USTA National 18s champion, and Leolia Jeanjean(Baylor, Arkansas, Lynn), who received the French reciprocal wild card, and Taylah Preston, who received the Australian reciprocal wild card.

Four juniors who competed in the USTA 18s Nationals in San Diego received women's qualifying wild cards:

USTA National 18s finalist Janae Preston, 16, Annika Penickova, 16, Kristina Penickova 16, and Julieta Pareja, 17.

Two college stars, who have had outstanding summers, Savannah Broadus(Pepperdine) and Ayana Akli(Maryland, South Carolina) received qualifying wild cards, with Katrina Scott(Tennessee) receiving her qualifying wild card as a finalist in the Collegiate Playoff. Caroline Dolehide also received a qualifying wild card.

The ninth qualifying wild card will be decided in a playoff on Sunday, August 23, with four players participating, and for the women, they are all teenagers: Melije Clarke, Welles Newman, Jordyn Hazelitt and Kennedy Drenser-Hagmann. I'm a little surprised not to see former UNC All-American Fiona Crawley in that field, with her WTA ranking of 266.

After qualifying for the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, two-time NCAA champion Michael Zheng(Columbia) will not have to qualify for his home slam, with the 22-year-old from New Jersey receiving one of the two discretionary wild cards. The other went to Martin Damm, who needs just two more withdrawals to move into the main draw, so there may be two wild cards yet to be announced.

JJ Wolf(Ohio State) won the annual Wild Card Challenge, Sebastian Gorzny(TCU, Texas) earned his wild card in June at the USTA's Collegiate playoff and Jack Kennedy was awarded a wild card as the National 18s champion in Kalamazoo.  The reciprocal wild cards are Gael Monfils of France and Alexei Popyrin of Australia.

Three participants in the 18s in Kalamazoo received qualifying wild cards: Jordan Lee, 16, who earned his as the 18s finalist; Michael Antonius, 16, and Andy Johnson, who turns 17 on Sunday. 

Two former and one active collegian received qualifying wild cards: Andre Ilagan(Hawaii), Daniel Milavsky(Harvard) and UCLA rising senior Spencer Johnson. 

Trevor Svajda(SMU) received his qualifying wild card as the finalist at the Collegiate playoff, and Japan's Kei Nishikori, who is retiring this year, received a qualifying wild card.

The participants in the men's qualifying playoff are Keaton Hance, 18, Jack Secord, 17, Ozan Baris(Michigan State) and Dali Blanch.

The Tennis Recruiting Network has begun its National Championship week articles with a review of the results of 12s in Mobile Alabama and Norcross Georgia.

My review of the Kalamazoo 16s will be up Thursday and the 18s article will be published Friday.

Links to all the articles can be found here.