Venus Williams gets US Open mixed doubles wild card
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Venus Williams is also set to play as a wild card in next month’s Cincinnati Open and could ask for a US Open singles wild card.
PHOTO: AFP
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NEW YORK – Venus Williams, who made a comeback on July 21 after more than a year’s hiatus from competitive tennis, will compete alongside Reilly Opelka in the mixed doubles at the US Open.
The American, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion who turned 45 in June, and compatriot Opelka were among six of 14 teams handed wild cards on July 29 to the revamped event in August by the United States Tennis Association.
Williams won her opening singles and doubles match at the Washington Open last week in her first WTA tournament since the 2024 Miami Open.
She is also set to play as a wild card in the Cincinnati Open in August and could ask for a US Open singles wild card. Those are expected to be announced in about two weeks.
The US Open mixed doubles championship on Aug 19-20 is a stand-alone event to be staged a week before the tournament proper from Aug 24-Sept 7, with the winning team receiving US$1 million (S$1.3 million) in prize money.
Eight teams received direct entry based on combined singles rankings, including top-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy – the reigning US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open singles champion – with American world No. 11 Emma Navarro.
Other duos making the cut include Germany’s third-ranked Alexander Zverev and Swiss Belinda Bencic, fourth-ranked American Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, Britain’s fifth-ranked Jack Draper and Spain’s Paula Badosa, Dane Holger Rune and American Amanda Anisimova, 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev and fellow Russian Mirra Andreeva, Americans Tommy Paul and Jessica Pegula, and Norway’s Casper Ruud and Poland’s Iga Swiatek.
The wildcard entries include five-time Grand Slam singles champion and world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain with Britain’s Emma Raducanu, Americans Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys, world women’s doubles No. 1 Taylor Townsend with fellow American Ben Shelton, Italians Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani, and Serbs Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic – who has won a record 24 men’s Grand Slam singles titles.
Two other wildcard teams will be announced later.
Meanwhile in tennis action, Japanese qualifier Aoi Ito stunned Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) on July 29 to reach the third round of the WTA Canadian Open.
The 21-year-old had beaten American Katie Volynets in the first round for her first WTA 1000 level triumph, then followed it up with her first victory over a top-10 opponent by rallying from a set and break down to advance after 2hr 27min.
Ito reached the semi-finals in October 2024 in Osaka on her WTA debut and claimed a 125-level title at Canberra in January.
In another match, world No. 2 Coco Gauff also battled into the third round by outlasting American compatriot Danielle Collins 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2). AFP
