Wild Cards for USTA 16s and 18s Nationals Include Pareja; Liutova and Hewitt Claim First WTA/ATP Wins; Zheng and Dolehide Top USTA US Open Wild Card Race; Qualifying Complete at USTA Pro Circuit W75 Lexington and W35 Florence

Seventeen-year-old Julieta Pareja lost her first round match at the WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open today after advancing to main draw via qualifying, falling to WTA No. 42 Xinyu Wang of China 7-6(3), 6-3. Pareja couldn't convert three set points with Wang serving at 5-6 in the first set, and Wang's advantage on serve, which included eight aces that helped her save nine of the 12 break points she faced, ultimately proving to be the difference in the match.

Pareja will be playing the USTA Billie Jean King Girls 18s Nationals in San Diego however, as she was added as a an entrant today as a wild card. The other five wild cards in the 18s are Alexis Nguyen, Annika Penickova, Bella Payne, Kori Montoya and Maria Aytoyan. Aytoyan's wild card is something of a mystery, as she was on the initial acceptance list, but is now listed in the group of wild cards. Shannon Lam, who has a live WTA ranking of 651, did not receive a wild card, nor did Texas rising sophomore Elizabeth Ionescu. 

The Girls 16s wild cards are Aleksandra Jerkunica, Kyndall Noel, Angela Li, Elsa Sahandi and Ariana Morris. 

The full list of competitors is here.

The Kalamazoo 18s wild cards are Zavier Augustin, Nikolas Stoot, Matteo Huarte, Arin Pallegar, Graeme Angus and Izyan Ahmad. The Kalamazoo 16s wild cards are Tomas Laukys, Sulaiman Syed, Johnny Wolf and Carter Jauffret.

The full list of competitors is here.

Seventeen-year-old Cruz Hewitt of Australia and 16-year-old Kristina Liutova won their first ATP and WTA matches in their debuts today in Washington DC and Memphis.

At the ATP 500 Mubadala DC Open, Hewitt, the Wimbledon boys finalist, defeated fellow qualifier Marcos Giron(UCLA) 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the second round. Hewitt will next face the winner of the match between top seed Alex de Minaur of Australia and wild card Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. Hewitt had posted a main draw Challenger win last fall, but this is his first main draw win on the ATP Tour.

Sixteen-year-old Liutova, who has won two USTA Pro Circuit W100s this spring, qualified for the new WTA 250 in Memphis yesterday and today took on top seed and WTA No. 19 Ekaterina Alexandrov. The match, which was over three hours in duration, came down to the final games, after Liutova had come back from 4-2 down to even the third set by breaking Alexandrova in an eight-deuce game. Liutova held quickly for a 5-4 lead, and Alexandrova began to struggle physically in the next game. At 4-5, 15-30, she went down to the court on the baseline, with the doctor and trainer immediately assisting her. After a few minutes of evaluation, she received a medical timeout, but although she got to her feet, she was unable to continue and the chair announced her retirement. This was one of three first round matches played in the morning, beginning at 10 a.m. due to the heat; the other five matches today didn't begin until this evening.

Liutova will face Maya Joint of Australia in the second round.

Week Two of the USTA's US Open Wild Card Challenge has concluded with Caroline Dolehide and Michael Zheng(Columbia) moving into the top spots. Today's release from the USTA:

US Open Wild Card Challenge Standings Update

 

Caroline Dolehide, Michael Zheng Lead After Week 2 

 

ORLANDO, Fla., July 28, 2026 – Twenty-seven-year old Caroline Dolehide and 22-year old Michael Zheng are the leaders of the USTA's US Open Wild Card Challenge after its second of four weeks for the women and five weeks for the men.

Dolehide, who won her first World Tennis Tour title since 2023 and ninth overall, leads the women’s standings after winning the USTA Pro Circuit W100 in Evansville, Ind., on Sunday. The victory is Dolehide’s biggest title to date having won four W60s, three W25s and one W10. Second-place Malaika Rapolu won the USTA Pro Circuit W35 in Santa Fe, N.M., over the weekend.

 

Zheng, who is a two-time NCAA men’s singles champion, reached the semifinal of the USTA Pro Circuit ATP Challenger 125 in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. He is just seven points ahead of Evan Bynoe, who won the USTA Pro Circuit M25 in Champaign, Ill.

The top of the standings after Week 2:

 

 

Women's Standings

(Player's current ranking in parentheses)

 

1. Caroline Dolehide (252) -- 100

2. Malaika Rapolu (387) -- 43
3. Hanna Chang (303) -- 35

 

 

Men's Standings

(Player's current ranking in parentheses)

 

1. Michael Zheng (118) -- 35
2. Evan Bynoe (939) -- 28
3. Ozan Baris (486) -- 25

 

 

The men's wild card will go to the American with the highest cumulative total of ATP singles ranking points earned from their best four results over five weeks. The Men's Challenge counts outdoor and indoor hard-court events at the M25-level and above around the world.

 

The women's wild card will go to the American with the highest cumulative total of WTA singles ranking points earned from their best three results over four weeks. The Women's Challenge counts outdoor and indoor hard-court events at the W35-level and above around the world.

 

Both main draw and qualifying points earned from eligible tournaments count toward each player’s Challenge total. Results from the Cincinnati Open will not count for either the men or the women.

Americans who otherwise earn direct entry into the US Open are not eligible, including those who can enter with a protected ranking. Should the player with the highest number of Challenge points earn direct entry into the US Open, the wild card will go to the next eligible American in the Challenge points standings. In the event of a tie, the player with the best ATP or best WTA singles ranking on the Monday following the end of the Challenge will earn the wild card. Challenge ends August 9 for the Women and August 16 for the Men.

The qualifying is complete for the two women's Pro Circuit tournaments this week, and first round matches were also played today at both the W35 in Florence South Carolina and the W75 in Lexington Kentucky. 

In Florence, six Americans advanced to the main draw: Liv Hovde(Duke), 17-year-old Carlota Moreno, Ava Catanzarite(UCLA, Oklahoma), Piper Charney(Michigan), Claire Hill(UNC, Wake Forest) and Jo-Yee Chan(Oregon, San Diego State).

Wild cards were awarded to Trinetra Vijayakumar(Vanderbilt), Kate Fakih(UCLA) and 16-year-old Jordyn Hazelitt.

Vijayakumar lost to top seed Antonia Vergara Rivera of Chile 7-5, 6-4, Fakih plays No. 8 seed Alexis Nguyen(UNC), and Hazelitt defeated doubles partner Welles Newman 6-2, 6-2 in first round action today.

In Lexington, Lexington Reed(Texas A&M), McKenna Schaefbauer(llinois) and 18-year-old Rachael Smith are the Americans who qualified for the main draw.

Wild cards were given to Luciana Perry(Ohio State), who lost to top seed Sara Saito of Japan 6-3, 7-6(7) in first round action today; Mia Slama(NC State), Julia Zhu(Kentucky) of Germany and 15-year-old Janae Preston.  Preston advanced to the second round with a 6-1, 6-2 win over BoYoung Jeong of Korea, and will face No. 3 seed Ayana Akli(Maryland, South Carolina) next. Seventeen-year-old Thea Frodin lost her first round match to Anastasia Kulikova of Finland 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Former UNC All-American Fiona Crawley is the No. 2 seed, with Hina Inoue the No. 4 seed.

Heat has continued to be a problem at the M25 in Edwardsville Illinois, with the third and final round of the 64-player qualifying being pushed into this evening. The first round of doubles is also scheduled for tonight, but no main draw singles matches. Johannus Monday(Tennessee) of Great Britain is the No. 1 seed, with Karim Bennani of Morocco the No. 2 seed. Wild cards were given to Kyle McNally(Dayton), Max Exsted(USC), Sebastian Gorzny(TCU, Texas) and Bryce Nakashima(Ohio State). 

Waelti and Anikina Win European 14s Titles; Meineke Sweeps J30 Titles for Second Straight Week; Minvielle Claims Both TItles at J100 in Colombia; New Memphis WTA 250 Underway

The European 14s championships concluded Sunday in Most Czechia, with Jonas Waelti of Switzerland and Elizaveta Anikina of Estonia claiming the titles. No. 7 seed Waelti, who won the boys Wimbledon 14-and-under title two weeks ago, had no trouble in his return to clay, beating top seed Richard Mitchell, also of Switzerland, 6-2, 6-1 in the final. 

Elizaveta Anikina 2026 Les Petits As
photo credit: Richard van Loon, toptennis.photos

No. 16 seed Anikina, the finalist at Les Petits As this year, defeated Wimbledon 14-and-under finalist Mariia Kochezhenko of Ukraine, the No. 1 seed this week, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Top seeds Oskar Laskowski and Liam Sharkey of Great Britain took the boys doubles title, defeating No. 7 seeds Pablo Jimenez Roman and Jorge Mateo Moreno of Spain 6-1, 7-6(5) in the final.

No. 2 seeds Olivia Serena Conticello and Giulia Luchetti of Italy captured the girls doubles title, beating the unseeded Swiss team of Liv Bretscher and Lilly Falkenberg 6-4, 6-1 in the final.

All draws can be found here.

For the second consecutive week, Dylan Meineke swept the titles at a J30 in Jamaica.  The top seed last week in Kingston, the 15-year-old Texan defeated doubles partner Vaclav Barina of Czechia, the No. 2 seed 7-6(5), 6-1 in the singles championship match. The top-seeded Meineke and Barina, who had also won the doubles title in Ocho Rios two weeks ago, defeated unseeded Petru Cotoman and Cyprus's Andreanos Kyriakides 7-5, 6-0 in the final.

Charles Minvielle claimed his second J100 singles title last week in Cali Colombia, and added the doubles title as well. The 17-year-old from Florida, seeded No. 2, defeated top seed Riku Nakamoto of Japan 6-4, 6-2 to cap a straight-sets run to the title. The second-seeded Minvielle and partner Alejandro Pena, who had won the doubles title at the J100 in Medellin earlier in the month, defeated top seeds Nakamoto and Thomas Piot of France 3-6, 7-6(5), 10-1 in the final.

At the J60 in Providence Rhode Island last week, No. 3 seeds Sebastian Bielen and Omar Rhazali earned the boys doubles title, beating the second-seeded Canadian team of Pierre-Olivier Hay and Randy Manoela Rakotonavahy 7-6(6), 6-4 in the final.

The unseeded Rhazali lost in the singles final to No. 2 seed Rafael Bote of Canada 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5).

Fifteen-year-old Daniela Davletshina, who has lived in Florida for years but is unaffiliated in World Tennis junior competition due to her Russian background, swept the girls titles, her first two titles on the WT junior circuit. Davletshina's younger sister Nikol, who won the Girls 16s Clay Courts title earlier this month, gave Daniela a walkover in the semifinals; in the final, Daniela defeated 14-year-old Evija Thoresen of Atlanta 6-2, 6-2. Nikol and Daniela defeated Masha Semenova and Stephanie Smart-Abbey 7-5, 6-4 to claim the girls doubles title.

The other WT junior title last week for an American was at the J30 in the country of Georgia. Seventeen-year-old Lucas Lukosik of Florida won his first WT junior circuit title, taking the boys doubles with Richard Lutak of Slovakia. The unseeded pair defeated unseeded Tudor Stefan Ionescu and Florin Robert Pantelimon of Romania 4-6, 7-5, 12-10 in the final.

This week's World Tennis junior tournament in the United States is a J60 in Medford New Jersey. 

In addition to the ATP/WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open this week, there is a new WTA 250 event in Memphis Tennessee. Unfortunately, extreme heat has been an issue, and they have been playing most of the matches at night. No Americans made it through qualifying, with wild card Kennedy Drenser-Hagmann falling to top seed Tatiana Prozorova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the final round last night.

Sixteen-year-old Seattle resident Kristina Liutova did advance to the main draw with a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(4) win over Mariia Kozyreva(St. Mary's). She will face top seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round.

Katie Volynets won her first round match today, beating No. 3 seed Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(3). Wild cards Whitney Osuigwe and Reese Brantmeier(UNC) lost their opening matches tonight, with Maya Joint of Australia beating Osuigwe 6-4, 6-1 and qualifier Iryna Shymanovich defeating Brantmeier 6-4, 6-3. 

McCartney Kessler(Florida) is the No. 2 seed, with Caty McNally[6] and Peyton Stearns[7] the other seeded Americans. Stearns will face Mary Stoiana(Texas A&M) in the first round. 

Sloane Stephens received a wild card and will play No. 8 seed Yuliia Starodubtseva(Old Dominion) of Ukraine; the fourth wild card, Cadence Brace(LSU) of Canada, plays No. 4 seed Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey.

Michelsen, Dolehide, Rapolu and Bynoe Claim USTA Pro Circuit Titles; Pareja, Svajda, Martin and Cruz Qualify for Mubadala DC Open 500s

Americans swept all four USTA Pro Circuit singles titles today, with only Bloomfield Hills ATP Challenger 125 champion Alex Michelsen doing so as the top seed.

Michelsen overcame a 4-0 first set deficit to end the nine-match winning streak of No. 8 seed Jacob Fearnley(TCU) of Great Britain with a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory in this afternoon's final. Michelsen, who wasn't broken in his three-set semifinal win over lucky loser DK Suresh, was broken three times today, but ultimately had a better serving day than Newport Challenger 125 champion Fearnley, with 10 aces and some outstanding defense the keys to his first title since April of 2025.

Michelsen now heads to the ATP 500 in Washington DC, where he'll play wild card Jack Draper of Great Britain in the first round.

Caroline Dolehide won her first title in more than three years at the W100 in Evansville Indiana. The unseeded 27-year-old from Illinois, who reached a WTA career-high of 41 in January of 2024, defeated unseeded Yeonwoo Ku of Korea 7-6(3), 7-6(5) in today's final.

At the W35 in Santa Fe New Mexico, 23-year-old Malaika Rapolu(Texas) won her fourth Pro Circuit singles title, with the No. 5 seed defeating top seed Hina Inoue, also of the United States, 6-2, 6-0 in the final. The only set Rapolu lost this week was the first one she played; after beating Lexington Reed(Texas A&M) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the first round, she didn't drop more than four games in any set.

The M25 in Champaign Illinois produced a first-time winner, with former Cornell standout Evan Bynoe earning his first pro singles title with a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory over No. 5 seed Naoya Honda of Japan. Bynoe, 27, had not reached a Pro Circuit final until this week, but he won three of the four tiebreakers he played this week and three three-setters to claim the long-awaited title.

Seventeen-year-old wild card Julieta Pareja lost in the second round of the W100 in Evansville this week to Mary Stoiana(Texas A&M), but that freed her to compete in the qualifying for the WTA 500 in Washington DC this weekend, and she made the most of it, with her win today getting her into the main draw.  Pareja, a former World Tennis junior No. 1, saved three match points in her 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win over 34-year-old Heather Watson of Great Britain; two came with Pareja serving at 3-5, and the third with Watson serving at 5-4. Pareja, who received a main draw wild card to the US Open last year, will be making her debut in the main draw of a WTA 500 event; last year she reached the semifinals of a WTA 250 in Colombia.

Alana Smith(NC State) lost to No. 2 seed Daria Kasatkina of Australia 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 and No. 7 seed Varvara Lepchenko fell to No. 4 seed Polina Kudermetova of Russia 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4.

Another wild card, 2025 NCAA singles finalist Trevor Svajda(SMU), also advanced to the main draw in Washington DC with the 20-year-old from San Diego defeating 2021 Washington ATP 500 finalist and No. 6 seed Mackenzie McDonald(UCLA) 6-4, 6-4 today. Svajda will face No. 7 seed Jakub Mensik of Czechia in the first round of the main draw.

Andres Martin's third-set tiebreaker loss to lucky loser DK Suresh(Wake Forest) in the Bloomfield Hills Challenger on Friday obviously didn't shake his confidence, with the former Georgia Tech immediately heading to Washington DC for the qualifying and picking up two wins to reach the main draw. Martin defeated No. 7 seed Moes Echargui(Nevada) of Tunisia 6-2, 7-5 to book a first round encounter with Ugo Humbert of France.

Wimbledon boys finalist Cruz Hewitt of Australia advanced to the main draw when top seed and two-time Kalamazoo 18s champion Zachary Svajda, Trevor's older brother, retired trailing the 17-year-old son of Lleyton Hewitt 1-6, 7-6(3), 2-0. Hewitt will face fellow qualifier Marcos Giron(UCLA), while Svajda received the lucky loser spot and will play qualifier Aleks Vukic(Illinois) of Australia in the first round.

Fearnley and Michelsen Reach Bloomfield Hills Challenger 125 Final; Pareja Earns Washington WTA 500 Qualifying Win; Dolehide, Bynoe, Inoue and Rapolu In Pro Circuit Finals; Two Pairs of Teenaged Sisters Claim Doubles Titles

Top seed Alex Michelsen will have an opportunity to avenge his recent Wimbledon first round loss and end Jake Fearnley's Challenger winning streak Sunday in the final of the Cranbrook Tennis Classic.

Great Britain's Fearnley, who received a wild card after his ranking had fallen outside the Top 100, came from two sets down to beat Michelsen 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 last month. Both played the Newport Challenger 125 earlier this month, with Michelsen falling to Adam Walton in the semifinals, while Fearnley beat Walton in the final with another huge comeback, saving six match points after trailing the Australian 7-5, 5-1, eventually earning a 5-7, 7-6(8), 6-4 victory.

Fearnley, the eighth seed this week at the Challenger 125 in Bloomfield Hills, didn't need a comeback today, beating No. 6 seed Michael Zheng 6-3, 6-4 with little drama. Michelsen, on the other hand, needed three sets to get by lucky loser DK Suresh(Wake Forest) of India, but eventually secured a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-2 win to make his first final since he claimed the title at last April's Challenger 175 in Estoril Portugal.

Top seeds Trey Hilderbrand(UCF, Texas A&M) and JJ Tracy(Ohio State) won the doubles title today in their first tournament as a team, beating No. 3 seeds Pruchya Isaro of Thailand and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha of Indian 6-3, 7-6(2).

At the ATP/WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open in Washington, wild card Julieta Pareja reached Sunday's final round of women's qualifying with a 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 6 seed Polina Iatcenko of Russia. She will play Heather Watson, who at 34 is exactly twice Pareja's age, for a place in the main draw. Wild card Clervie Ngounoue lost to No. 7 seed Varvara Lepchenko 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Alana Smith(NC State), who got in as an alternate when Katie Swan of Great Britain withdrew, beat Lea Ma(Georgia) 6-4, 7-6(5) to set up a meeting with No. 2 seed Daria Kasatkina of Australia.  Former Syracuse All-American Gabriela Knutson of Czechia defeated top seed Shuai Zhang of China 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.

In men's qualifying, two wild cards advanced, with Wimbledon boys finalist Cruz Hewitt of Australia moving on when No. 8 seed Dusan Lajovic of Serbia retired trailing 5-2. He will face top seed Zachary Svajda, who beat Stefan Kozlov 7-5, 6-1. Svajda's younger brother Trevor(SMU) was the other wild card to post a victory, beating No. 12 seed Elias Ymer of Sweden 6-0, 7-6(5). He will play No. 6 seed Mackenzie McDonald(UCLA) for a spot in the main draw.

Wimbledon boys champion Jordan Lee lost to No. 7 seed Moez Echargui(Nevada) of Tunisia 7-5, 6-1. Echargui will play Andres Martin, who made it to DC from Bloomfield Hills, where he played yesterday afternoon, and didn't skip a beat, defeating No. 5 seed Christopher O'Connell of Australian 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.  Wake Forest sophomore Aryan Shah of India, the fourth wild card, lost to No. 2 seed Marcos Giron(UCLA) 7-5, 6-4.

Other Americans in the final round of men's qualifying are Andre Ilagan(Hawaii) and No. 4 seed Martin Damm.

While Kozlov and Lee lost in singles, the wild cards did win their first doubles qualifying match, beating No. 2 seeds Ariel Behar of Uruguay and Anirudh Chandrasekar of India 6-3, 6-2. They will play the veteran team of JP Smith(Tennessee) of Australia and Fernando Romboli of Brazil for a spot in the men's doubles draw.

Caroline Dolehide has reached her first tournament final since October 2024 at the W100 in Evansville Indiana. The unseeded 27-year-old from Illinois, who has played only eight tournaments this year, defeated top seed Renata Zarazua of Mexico 7-5, 6-4 in today's semifinal and will face Yeonwoo Ku of Korea, also unseeded, for the title. Ku beat No. 2 seed Dasha Vidmanova(Georgia) and No. 6 seed Mary Stoiana(Texas A&M) in back-to-back three-setters, then defeated unseeded Lucrezia Stefanini of Italy 6-4, 6-2 in today's semifinals.

The doubles title went to top seeds I-Hsuan Cho and Yi Tsen Cho of Taiwan, who beat No. 2 seeds Kayla Cross(LSU) of Canada and Anna Rogers(NC State) 6-2, 6-3 in today's final.

At the M25 in Champaign Illinois, unseeded Evan Bynoe(Cornell) has advanced to his first Pro Circuit final at the age of 27. The previous best result for Bynoe at an M25 came last year, when he reached the Edwardsville quarterfinals.  Bynoe, currently 965 in the ATP rankings, defeated qualifier Mitchell Sheldon(Michigan State) 7-6(4), 7-6(4) and will face 20-year-old Naoya Honda of Japan, the fifth seed, in the final. Honda, a former Top 10 World Tennis junior, defeated Will Jansen(UNC, Ohio State, Georgia) 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in today's semifinals.

Unseeded Nikita Filin(Ohio State) and Tyler Bowers(Illinois, Auburb) won the doubles title, beating unseeded Vignesh Gogineni(Yale) and Billy Suarez(Tulane) 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 in this evening's final. It's the second Pro Circuit doubles title for Filin and the first for Bowers.

The only all-USA final Sunday on the USTA Pro Circuit will be at the W35 in Santa Fe New Mexico, with top seed Hina Inoue facing No. 5 seed Malaika Rapolu(Texas). Inoue defeated unseeded Dana Guzman (Oklahoma) of Peru 6-1, 6-4, while Rapolu beat No. 2 seed Angelina Voloshchuk of Portugal 6-2, 6-4 in today's semifinals. 

The Penickovas twins with the March 2025 San Diego J300 doubles trophies

Twin sisters Annika and Kristina Penickova won their first W35 doubles title together and their third Pro Circuit doubles title as a team today in Santa Fe, with the unseeded 16-year-olds beating unseeded Carolina Gomez(Arkansas) of Spain and Celine Simunyu(Arkansas) of Ireland 6-3, 6-3 in the final. Annika won a W35 title in May with Capucine Jauffret; Kristina won a W15 title this summer with Jauffret during the SoCal Pro Series.

And at the W15 in Huamantla Mexico, 18-year-old Olivia Allegre(UC San Diego) and 16-year-old sister Camille won their first Pro Circuit title, with the unseeded pair defeating unseeded Jayna Clemens(Mississippi State, San Diego State) and Kallista Liu(Maryland) of Hong Kong 6-3, 6-3 in today's final. 

My Recap of Manchala's Title at Wimbledon 14U Tournament; Eight Questions with Bloomfield Hills Challenger Semifinalist Michael Zheng; Pareja Receives Qualifying Wild Card for WTA 500 in Washington DC

The European 14s championships are underway in Most Czechia this week, and after covering the Wimbledon 14-and-under event two weeks ago, I recognize quite a few of the names. Three of the four boys semifinalists competed at Wimbledon and are making a quick surface change back to clay, including champion Jonas Waelti of Switzerland.

The Wimbledon 14-and-under girls finalist Mariia Kocherzhenko of Ukraine is the No. 1 seed in Most, and she has advanced to the semifinals. For links to draws, live scoring and live streaming, see the Tennis Europe live blog page.

My coverage of the Wimbledon tournament, which focuses on Isha Manchala capturing the first title for an American in the event's five-year history, can be found today at the Tennis Recruiting Network.

In my post Monday, I covered Michael Zheng's first round win and provided his comments on the grass court season and his Wimbledon third round appearance. Below is the rest of my interview with Columbia's two-time NCAA singles champion.

 Today at the Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Bloomfield Hills, the sixth-seeded Zheng advanced to his seventh semifinal at the Challenger level with a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 win over No. 2 seed Adam Walton(Tennessee) of Australia. Zheng has advanced to the final five of the six times he has appeared in a Challenger semifinal. He will face No. 8 seed Jake Fearnley(TCU) of Great Britain, who beat JJ Wolf(Ohio State) 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3.  In the top half, No. 1 seed Alex Michelsen defeated defending champion Mark Lajal 6-3, 6-4 and will face lucky loser DK Suresh(Wake Forest) of India, who beat 2025 CTC finalist Andres Martin(Georgia Tech) 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(6). Martin didn't face a break point in the match, yet still lost; Suresh saved two of the three break points he faced, and used some expert volleying in the second and third sets to eke out a win.

Eight Questions with Michael Zheng:

Colette Lewis: Did being in the final of the Wimbledon Junior Championships help you in your men's main draw debut this year?

Michael Zheng: Not a lot of players have had that experience, playing on grass, so even though it's my first real season playing on grass, I had in juniors, had the success in the juniors. So that's always in the back of your mind that you know you can play well on grass, so it definitely helped. Playing on grass, feeling the courts, knowing that I played really well there, really helped.

CL: What was behind your decision to skip this year's USTA American Collegiate US Open Wild Card Playoff?

MZ: I think the scheduling was just a little bit tough. It was between staying a little longer on the hard, and prepare for that, or go to Europe and try to give myself the best possible chance to do well at Wimbledon. I think it does take a couple of tournaments to get used to the grass, the movement is a little bit different, so we just decided, with the way it was scheduled, it would be tough. If I was in England, going back and forth and trying to make it back in time for Wimbledon(qualifying), it probably wouldn't give me the best chance to do well in qualies.

CL: Did the fact that you had qualified for the Australian Open and Roland Garros play into that scheduling decision?

MZ: Yes, I think that was definitely a factor, just the confidence against these guys at that level. My dad has always told me that grass suits my game, and I hadn't done that well on clay, hadn't played on it in two years, and am already qualifying in Paris, so on grass, a surface where I feel more comfortable, why not give myself that chance to qualify there?

CL: Do you have an agent?

MZ: I just signed with GSE a couple of days ago. They're not announcing it yet, but soon. 

CL: How do you look back on your final college season? I think a lot of people were surprised that you lost six matches. Were you surprised by that?

MZ: A little bit. I was expected to do well, I had just won NCAAs and I had a good run in Australia. I think the timing with everything was a little bit unfortunate. I went to Australia, did better than expected, but missed our (ITA) Kickoff(Weekend) match and when I got back from Australia I was hurt, so I was out for a couple of weeks actually, on the sidelines coaching. 

I think I was, I don't want to say de-motivated, because I wanted to win, but it was tough, with the injury, and guys were also playing really well against me. But I think I definitely underperformed a little bit during the season. I think I started playing better toward the end, and then we were a little bit unlucky that we drew UVA in the second round at NCAAs. I lost a tough match to (Dylan) Dietrich, who is playing really well, on their home courts. It was definitely a tough season, but you learn a lot.

CL: Were you able to attend your Columbia graduation?

MZ: I missed it unfortunately. I was in France. I think if I'd have lost in second round of qualies I could have made it. I ended up bringing my cap and gown there and took some pictures, but unfortunately I missed the walk.

CL: What are your thoughts about the Electronic Line Calling at ATP Challengers this year?

MZ: I think it's better, just in general. You aren't arguing calls with line judges; with Electronic Line Calling it's set. You can think that maybe it's wrong, but you can't really do anything about it and it saves a lot of time with the arguments and all that. It gives you peace of mind and it's probably more accurate than whatever you see. I think it's better.

CL: What's your schedule for the rest of the summer?

MZ: From here I'm going to Los Cabos (ATP 250), instead of DC. I think I'm eight out of qualifying for Montreal (ATP 1000), so if I can sneak in, I'll play there. I'm also signed for Lexington(ATP Challenger 75) so if I can't get in to Montreal, I'll play Lexington. I just signed for Cincinnati(ATP 1000) qualies, so maybe play that.

While Zheng won't be playing the Mubadala Open in Washington DC, tomorrow's first round of qualifying matches feature many other young Americans.

Wimbledon boys champion Jordan Lee, who received a wild card, will play No. 7 seed Moez Echargui(Nevada) of Morocco in Lee's ATP-level debut. Australian Cruz Hewitt, the Wimbledon boys finalist and wild card recipient, faces No. 8 seed Dusan Lajovic of Serbia.

2025 NCAA singles finalist Trevor Svajda received a wild card for qualifying and will play No. 12 seed Elias Ymer of Sweden. His brother Zachary is the top seed in qualifying and will face Stefan Kozlov. Kozlov and Lee received a men's doubles qualifying wild card. The fourth wild card in men's singles qualifying went to Aryan Shah of India, who joined Wake Forest in January.

Andres Martin, who lost in Bloomfield Hills late this afternoon, is on Saturday's schedule not before 3 p.m. in a first round qualifying match No. 5 seed Christopher O'Connell of Australia. The winner of that match plays the winner of the Lee-Echargui match for a spot in the main draw.

The men's qualifying draw is here.

There are only four qualifiers who receive entry into the women's main draw, versus six qualifiers on the men's side, so only two qualifying wild cards are awarded.  Seventeen-year-old Julieta Pareja received one of the and she will face No. 6 seed Polina Iatcenko of Russia in the first round tomorrow. The other wild card was given to 20-year-old Clervie Ngounoue, who is originally from the DC area; she will play No. 7 seed Varvara Lepchenko of the United States. The other Americans in qualifying are Carolyn Ansari(Auburn) and Lea Ma(Georgia).

The women's qualifying draw is here.

Wimbledon Boys Champion Lee, Finalist Hewitt Receive Qualifying Wild Cards for ATP 500 in Washington DC; Baris and Chang Lead US Open Wild Card Race after Week 1; Quarterfinals Friday at Bloomfield Hills Challenger, W100 Evansville, W35 Santa Fe and M25 Champaign

The Mubadala DC Open, a joint WTA/ATP 500, announced yesterday that both boys who appeared in the Wimbledon boys final ten days ago have received wild cards into the ATP 500 Washington DC qualifying draws.  Champion Jordan Lee, who has never competed above the M15 level and has an ATP ranking of 1769, will be making his ATP-level debut; finalist Cruz Hewitt of Australia has played Australian Open qualifying the past two years and in 10 Challengers, most in Australia; his ATP ranking is currently 615.

The future is here 🔥

2026 Wimbledon boys’ singles champion Jordan Lee and finalist Cruz Hewitt have received qualifying wild cards and will both play their first match on Saturday!#MubadalaDCOpen pic.twitter.com/7uMWSk7iJq

— Mubadala DC Open (@mubadaladcopen) July 22, 2026

 

The USTA also distributed the first update on the US Open Wild Card Challenge, with Hanna Chang, who won the title at the W35 in Dallas last week, and Ozan Baris, who won the title at the M25 in Louisville last week, the leaders.

US Open Wild Card Challenge Standings Update

 

Hanna Chang, Ozan Baris Lead After Week 1

 

ORLANDO, Fla., July 22, 2026 – Twenty-eight-year old Hanna Chang and 22-year old Ozan Baris are the leaders of the USTA's US Open Wild Card Challenge after its first of four weeks for the women and five weeks for the men.

 

Chang, who has won three USTA Pro Circuit W35 singles titles already this year, leads the women’s standings after winning the W35 in Dallas on Sunday. Second-place Elizabeth Mandlik made the semifinals of the W75 in Granby, Canada.

 

Baris won his second USTA Pro Circuit M25 title of the year in Louisville, Ky., after winning the M25 Wichita event in June. He is just three points ahead of Murphy Cassone, who reached the semifinal at the Granby Challenger in Canada, and Spencer Johnson, who also reached a Challenger semifinal in Lincoln, Neb.

 

The top of the standings after Week 1:

 

Women's Standings

(Player's current ranking in parentheses)

 

1. Hanna Chang (326) -- 35

2. Elizabeth Mandlik (169) -- 29
3. Lea Ma (274) -- 16

 

 

Men's Standings

(Player's current ranking in parentheses)

 

1. Ozan Baris (586) -- 25
T2. Murphy Cassone (269) -- 22
T2. Spencer Johnson (524) -- 22

 

 

The men's wild card will go to the American with the highest cumulative total of ATP singles ranking points earned from their best four results over five weeks. The Men's Challenge counts outdoor and indoor hard-court events at the M25-level and above around the world.

 

The women's wild card will go to the American with the highest cumulative total of WTA singles ranking points earned from their best three results over four weeks. The Women's Challenge counts outdoor and indoor hard-court events at the W35-level and above around the world.

The quarterfinals are set at all four of the USTA Pro Circuit events this week.  At the Bloomfield Hills Challenger 125, lucky loser DK Suresh(Wake Forest) of India is through to the quarterfinals after defeating another Wake Forest alum, Borna Gojo of Croatia, 6-2, 6-4 today. Suresh will face 2025 finalist Andres Martin(Georgia Tech), who beat qualifier Roger Pascual(TCU) of Spain 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. 

Top seed Alex Michelsen will play 2025 champion Mark Lajal in the other quarterfinal in the top half.

In the bottom half, No. 6 seed Michael Zheng(Columbia) will play No. 2 seed Adam Walton(Tennessee) of Australia, and No. 8 seed Jake Fearnley(TCU) will face J.J. Wolf(Ohio State), who is into his first Challenger quarterfinal since his long injury layoff in 2025. Wolf defeated No. 3 seed Coleman Wong of Hong Kong 6-3, 7-5 today.

At the M25 in Champaign Illinois, three wild cards and a qualifier are through to the quarterfinals, with only two seeds remaining.

Top seed Karim Bennani of Morocco will face Will Jansen(UNC, Ohio State, Georgia); wild card Nikita Filin(Ohio State) will play No. 5 seed Naoya Honda of Japan; wild card William Mroz(Illinois) will face qualifier Mitchell Sheldon(Michigan State) and wild card Eli Stephenson(Kentucky) will play Evan Bynoe. Bynoe defeated No. 2 seed Yassine Dlimi(UCF) of Morocco 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round today.

The quarterfinals in the women's W100 in Evansville Indiana will feature three Americans, with one guaranteed to reach the semifinals when No. 7 seed Elvina Kalieva plays Caroline Dolehide. The other quarterfinal in the top half has top seed Renata Zarazua of Mexico playing qualifier Yuki Naito of Japan, with Naito defeating wild card Fiona Crawley 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 in three hours and 10 minutes.  In the bottom half, unseeded Lucrezia Stefanini of Italy will play No. 3 seed Mananchaya Sawangkaew(Oklahoma State) of Thailand and No. 6 seed Mary Stoiana, who beat 17-year-old wild card Julieta Pareja 6-3, 6-4 today, will face unseeded Yeonwoo Ku of Korea. Ku prevented another Dasha Vidmanova(Georgia) meeting with Stoiana, with Ku beating the 2024 NCAA fall singles champion from Czechia 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round today.

Four Americans will play in Friday's quarterfinals of the W35 in Santa Fe New Mexico, with top seed Hina Inoue facing Kate Fakih(UCLA). Inoue beat Kolie Allen(Ohio State) 6-4, 7-6(2), while Fakih fought back against Tatum Evans(UNC) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.

Krisha Mahendran(USC) of India, who beat No. 3 seed Antonia Vergara Rivera of Chile 6-2, 7-5, will face Dana Guzman(Oklahoma) of Peru for a place in the semifinals. 

Fifth-seeded Malaika Rapolu(Texas) will play Mayu Crossley(UCLA) of Japan and qualifier McKenna Schaefbauer(Illinois) will face No. 2 seed Angelina Voloshchuk of Portugal.