2009 U.S. Open Tennis Wild Cards
The coveted main draw wild cards aka “free passes” into the men’s and women’s singles draws at the 2009 U.S. Open have been given to eight lucky women and eight lucky men. Certain wild cards are automatically given to players who win the USTA 18s National Championships and to the NCAA Individual Singles Champions, but the others are
at the discretion of the USTA. The recipients are all Americans with the exception of the reciprocal wild cards that the USTA trades with the French Tennis Federation for a spot in the French Open and with Tennis Australia for a place in the Australian Open.
The men’s wildcards are:
• Devin Britton, 18, of Jackson, Mississippi, was a finalist at the 2008 U.S. Open Junior Boys tournament and semifinalist at the 2009 Wimbledon Junior Boys tournament. As a freshman at the University of Mississippi, Devin became the youngest NCAA Individual Singles Champion when he won the title in May.
• Chase Buchanan, 18, of New Albany, Ohio, earned his wild card by winning the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships. As a freshman, he helped lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the 2009 NCAA Team Final posting an 11-4 record in singles.
• Taylor Dent, 28, of Newport Beach, California, is on the comeback trail after three back surgeries forced him to miss two years and nearly ended his career. Taylor, currently ranked 202nd, played in the main draw at the 2009 Australian Open, advanced to the fourth round in Miami and qualified for Wimbledon. Dent finished in the year-end Top 35 every year from 2003-05 and climbed to a career-high ranking of 21 in 2005. He reached the round of 16 at the US Open in 2003.
• Brendan Evans, 23, of Key Biscayne, Florida, is currently ranked a career-high 122nd. He recently reached the quarterfinals at the ATP World Tour event in Newport, Rhode Island, and won Challengers in Noumea, New Caledonia, and Nottingham, England. In 2004, Evans and fellow American, Scott Oudsema, teamed to win three of the four Grand Slam junior doubles titles, including the US Open.
• Chris Guccione, 24, of Australia, a big-serving lefty is ranked 124th and received his wild card through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia, which will grant a men’s main draw wild card into the 2010 Australian Open to a player designated by the USTA. Chris collected the singles and doubles titles at the Challenger in Aptos, California.
• Jesse Levine, 21, of Boca Raton, Florida, is currently ranked 112th. At Wimbledon, he came through qualifying and in the main draw upset Marat Safin and reached third round. In 2008, Levine, a lefty who has been a practice partner for Roger Federer, reached the second round at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Jesse played one year of college tennis, going 24-1 as a freshman at the University of Florida in 2007.
• Michael Llodra, 29, of France, is ranked 115th and received his wild card through a reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation, which gave the USTA a wild card into the 2009 French Open. Llodra has been ranked as high as 34th and won 3 singles titles and 17 doubles titles including the Australian Open and Wimbledon during his career.
• Ryan Sweeting, 22, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is currently ranked 141st. Ryan, who won the 2005 U.S. Open Junior Boys title, won a Challenger in Dallas earlier this year. He also recently qualified at the LA Open and reached the round of 16 losing to eventual Champion, Sam Querrey.
The women’s wildcards are:
• Gail Brodsky, 18, of Brooklyn, New York, who is currently ranked 415th, is receiving a wild card for the second straight year. Last year, Gail earned a wild card by winning the 2008 USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships (she finished third at this year’s event).
• Mallory Cecil, 19, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, won the 2009 NCAA Individual Singles title as a freshman at Duke University. Mallory also helped lead Duke to the 2009 NCAA team title and was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Player of the Year. In June, she won back-to-back USTA Pro Circuit $10,000 titles and in July, she reached the quarterfinals of a $50,000 tournament in Texas.
• Kim Clijsters, 26, of Belgium, the 2005 U.S. Open Champion and former Number One ranked player, who retired in 2003, recently returned to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
• Alexa Glatch, 19, of Newport Beach, California, is currently ranked a career-high 102nd. Alexa won both of her singles matches for the U.S. Federation Cup team in April which helped the United States reach the Final in November. Glatch, who has won three singles titles on the USTA Pro Circuit, also competed at the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. As a wild card in 2005, Alexa reached the second round of the U.S. Open and also advanced to the US Open Junior Girls’ singles and doubles (with Vania King) Finals.
• Vania King, 20, of Long Beach, California, who is currently ranked 123rd, has played in the US Open main draw the last four years. In 2006, Vania won her first Tour singles title in Bangkok, Thailand. King has won seven Tour doubles titles and reached the mixed doubles final at the 2009 French Open. King was a member of the U.S. Federation Cup team from 2006-08.
• Christina McHale, 17, of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, who lives full-time at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, earned her wild card by winning the 2009 USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships. McHale also earned a wild card into the 2009 Australian Open by winning a USTA wild card playoff.
• Kristina Mladenovic, 16, of France, is currently the Number One ranked junior player in the world. Kristina received her wild card through a reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation, which gave a 2009 French Open wild card to the USTA. Mladenovic won the 2009 French Open Junior Girls singles title and reached the 2009 Wimbledon Junior Girls’ singles and doubles finals.
• Olivia Rogowska, 18, of Australia, is currently ranked 167th and received her wild card through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia, which will give a 2010 Australian Open wild card to a player selected by the USTA. Olivia competed in the main draws of the 2009 Australian and French Opens.
The men’s wildcards are:
• Devin Britton, 18, of Jackson, Mississippi, was a finalist at the 2008 U.S. Open Junior Boys tournament and semifinalist at the 2009 Wimbledon Junior Boys tournament. As a freshman at the University of Mississippi, Devin became the youngest NCAA Individual Singles Champion when he won the title in May.
• Chase Buchanan, 18, of New Albany, Ohio, earned his wild card by winning the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships. As a freshman, he helped lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the 2009 NCAA Team Final posting an 11-4 record in singles.
• Taylor Dent, 28, of Newport Beach, California, is on the comeback trail after three back surgeries forced him to miss two years and nearly ended his career. Taylor, currently ranked 202nd, played in the main draw at the 2009 Australian Open, advanced to the fourth round in Miami and qualified for Wimbledon. Dent finished in the year-end Top 35 every year from 2003-05 and climbed to a career-high ranking of 21 in 2005. He reached the round of 16 at the US Open in 2003.
• Brendan Evans, 23, of Key Biscayne, Florida, is currently ranked a career-high 122nd. He recently reached the quarterfinals at the ATP World Tour event in Newport, Rhode Island, and won Challengers in Noumea, New Caledonia, and Nottingham, England. In 2004, Evans and fellow American, Scott Oudsema, teamed to win three of the four Grand Slam junior doubles titles, including the US Open.
• Chris Guccione, 24, of Australia, a big-serving lefty is ranked 124th and received his wild card through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia, which will grant a men’s main draw wild card into the 2010 Australian Open to a player designated by the USTA. Chris collected the singles and doubles titles at the Challenger in Aptos, California.
• Jesse Levine, 21, of Boca Raton, Florida, is currently ranked 112th. At Wimbledon, he came through qualifying and in the main draw upset Marat Safin and reached third round. In 2008, Levine, a lefty who has been a practice partner for Roger Federer, reached the second round at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Jesse played one year of college tennis, going 24-1 as a freshman at the University of Florida in 2007.
• Michael Llodra, 29, of France, is ranked 115th and received his wild card through a reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation, which gave the USTA a wild card into the 2009 French Open. Llodra has been ranked as high as 34th and won 3 singles titles and 17 doubles titles including the Australian Open and Wimbledon during his career.
• Ryan Sweeting, 22, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is currently ranked 141st. Ryan, who won the 2005 U.S. Open Junior Boys title, won a Challenger in Dallas earlier this year. He also recently qualified at the LA Open and reached the round of 16 losing to eventual Champion, Sam Querrey.
The women’s wildcards are:
• Gail Brodsky, 18, of Brooklyn, New York, who is currently ranked 415th, is receiving a wild card for the second straight year. Last year, Gail earned a wild card by winning the 2008 USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships (she finished third at this year’s event).
• Mallory Cecil, 19, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, won the 2009 NCAA Individual Singles title as a freshman at Duke University. Mallory also helped lead Duke to the 2009 NCAA team title and was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Player of the Year. In June, she won back-to-back USTA Pro Circuit $10,000 titles and in July, she reached the quarterfinals of a $50,000 tournament in Texas.
• Kim Clijsters, 26, of Belgium, the 2005 U.S. Open Champion and former Number One ranked player, who retired in 2003, recently returned to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
• Alexa Glatch, 19, of Newport Beach, California, is currently ranked a career-high 102nd. Alexa won both of her singles matches for the U.S. Federation Cup team in April which helped the United States reach the Final in November. Glatch, who has won three singles titles on the USTA Pro Circuit, also competed at the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. As a wild card in 2005, Alexa reached the second round of the U.S. Open and also advanced to the US Open Junior Girls’ singles and doubles (with Vania King) Finals.
• Vania King, 20, of Long Beach, California, who is currently ranked 123rd, has played in the US Open main draw the last four years. In 2006, Vania won her first Tour singles title in Bangkok, Thailand. King has won seven Tour doubles titles and reached the mixed doubles final at the 2009 French Open. King was a member of the U.S. Federation Cup team from 2006-08.
• Christina McHale, 17, of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, who lives full-time at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, earned her wild card by winning the 2009 USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships. McHale also earned a wild card into the 2009 Australian Open by winning a USTA wild card playoff.
• Kristina Mladenovic, 16, of France, is currently the Number One ranked junior player in the world. Kristina received her wild card through a reciprocal agreement with the French Tennis Federation, which gave a 2009 French Open wild card to the USTA. Mladenovic won the 2009 French Open Junior Girls singles title and reached the 2009 Wimbledon Junior Girls’ singles and doubles finals.
• Olivia Rogowska, 18, of Australia, is currently ranked 167th and received her wild card through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia, which will give a 2010 Australian Open wild card to a player selected by the USTA. Olivia competed in the main draws of the 2009 Australian and French Opens.
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