USTA Awards Direct Entry Slots to Seven US Men
White Plains, New York – The United States Tennis Association announced that seven US men were granted direct entry into the US Open draw. Roster of players includes 2003 champion Andy Roddick, 9th-ranked (currently highest-ranked) Mardy Fish, 35th-ranked John Isner, 50th-ranked Sam Querrey, 63rd-ranked Alex Bogomolov Jr., 66th-ranked Ryan Sweeting and 91st-ranked James Blake.
Though ranked in the top 104, veteran players Michael Russell and Robert Kendrick did not make the into the direct entry list. Players who were out for six months or longer due to injuries or illnesses are privileged to use special ranking to enter the tournament. It was found out that former top 30 player Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, former Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez of Chile and former world number 2 Tommy Haas of Germany opted to use that privilege. This pushed Russell and Kendrick out of the list. The 101st-ranked Marc Gicquel was the last player directly accepted into the men’s field of 128.
There are other venues for entering the US Open draw. Sixteen slots are available through the qualifying rounds to be held a week before the main tournament. Additional eight spots are reserved for wild cards, two of which are already owned by Tennis Australia and French Tennis Federation. One wild card slot goes to the winner of the Boys’ 18s Nationals and the other for the NCAA singles winner Steve Johnson. With four wild cards left, it will be a tussle among Russell, Kendrick, young players Donald Young, Ryan Harrison and Jack Sock, and veteran players Robby Ginepri and Bobby Reynolds.
One wild card slot will be awarded by the USTA Player Development in its second annual US Open Wild Card Playoff. This will be held at College Park, Maryland on August 18 to 20. Among the players confirmed is 18-year-old Denis Kudla who reached the boys’ singles final at last year’s US Open.
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