Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens has taken the lead in the USTA’s Australian Open Wild Card Challenge after capturing the Edmond Open W100 title in Oklahoma.
Stephens, who was ranked No.1102 at this year’s Australian Open, has risen steadily all year.
The 2017 US Open champion, currently ranked No. 118, has earned 100 points in the Challenge, putting her ahead of Elvina Kalieva (61) and Julieta Pareja (39) in the race for a main draw wild card at the 2027 Australian Open.
Annika Penickova and Connie Ma, who met in this weekend’s 35k final in Redding, are also in the Top 5.
The women’s Challenge runs from October 5 through the week of November 2, with the American earning the most ranking points from a maximum of three eligible tournaments securing the wild card. Events at the W35 level and above, including WTA Tour tournaments, are eligible.
| Current Standings as of October 18 | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sloane Stephens (118) | 100 |
| 2 | Elvina Kalieva (113) | 61 |
| 3 | Julieta Pareja (228) | 39 |
| 4 | Annika Penickova (482) | 37 |
| 5 | Connie Ma (NR) | 35 |
The men’s Australian Open Wild Card Challenge get underway this week and will run through the week of November 16. The men’s competition counts ranking points earned at a maximum of four tournaments over the five-week period.
The wild cards are part of a reciprocal agreement between the USTA and Tennis Australia, which exchange main draw singles wild cards for the Australian Open and US Open each year.
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