Nineteen-year-old Akasha Urhobo and 23-year-old Dali Blanch are the leaders of the USTA’s Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge after its first of five weeks.
Florida-based Urhobo, who has won two USTA Pro Circuit W35 singles titles already this year, leads the women’s standings after qualifying and winning her first WTA-level match last week at the WTA 500 in Charleston, S.C.
Blanch, who trained extensively with Florida-based coach Rick Macci, qualified and reached his first career ATP Challenger 100 semifinal in Menorca, Spain, last week, and leads Nishesh Basavareddy and Mackenzie McDonald, who both reached the second round at the ATP 250 in Houston.
The top of the standings after Week 1 of 5:
Women’s Standings
(Player’s current ranking in parentheses)
Photo credit: MNO Tennis
1. Akasha Urhobo (233) — 57
2. Varvara Lepchenko (148) — 54
T3. Alycia Parks (93) — 32
T3. Ashlyn Krueger (108) — 32
Men’s Standings
(Player’s current ranking in parentheses)
Photo credit: Biosport Menorca SL
1. Dali Blanch (349) — 29
T2. Nishesh Basavareddy (181) — 25
T2. Mackenzie McDonald (126) — 25
The Challenge utilizes clay-court professional tournaments to award an American man and woman a main draw wild card into this year’s French Open.
Both the men’s and women’s wild cards will be awarded to the American players with the most ranking points earned — including qualifying and main draw points — at a maximum of three clay-court tournaments during the Challenge’s five-week window, ending May 3.
All red-clay and Har-Tru events at the W35 level and above for the women and the M25 level and above for the men, including WTA and ATP Tour events, will be included in the Challenge.
Americans who otherwise earn direct entry into the French Open main draw, or those who have a protected ranking with which to enter the main draw, are not eligible for the Challenge.
Should the player with the highest number of Challenge points earn direct entry into the French 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 WTA singles ranking on Monday, May 4, will earn the wild card.
The USTA and FFT have a reciprocal agreement in which main draw wild cards for the 2026 French Open and US Open are exchanged. The USTA uses this Challenge format to award wild cards into the Australian, French, and US Opens.
Iva Jovic and Emilio Nava earned French Open main draw wild cards last year via the Challenge, and both reached the second round. Jovic has since risen to a career-high ranking of No. 18 in the world, and Nava has risen as high as No. 76.
Previous Americans to earn wild cards into the French Open via the Challenge include Amanda Anisimova, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, and Emma Navarro.
Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge Winners
2025: Iva Jovic (2R); Emilio Nava (2R)
2024: Sachia Vickery (1R); Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (1R)
2023: Emma Navarro (2R); Patrick Kypson (1R)
2022: Katie Volynets (2R); Michael Mmoh (1R)
2019: Lauren Davis (2R); Tommy Paul (1R)
2018: Taylor Townsend (2R); Noah Rubin (1R)
2017: Amanda Anisimova (1R); Tennys Sandgren (1R)
2016: Taylor Townsend (2R); Bjorn Fratangelo (2R)
2015: Louisa Chirico (1R); Frances Tiafoe (1R)
2014: Taylor Townsend (3R); Robby Ginepri (1R)
2013: Shelby Rogers (2R); Alex Kuznetsov (1R)
2012: Melanie Oudin (2R); Brian Baker (2R)
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Source: USTA. Photo credit (top): pechterphotos.com / Todd Pechter for Florida Tennis.