American Collegiate Player Wild Card Playoffs to be held June 16-18 at the USTA National Campus
The USTA, in collaboration with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), will host the American Collegiate Player Wild Card Playoffs at the USTA National Campus. The new event, which will be held June 16-18, is part of an expanded NCAA-linked wild card pilot program that will more than double the average number of American collegiate players that earn US Open wild cards each year, with six guaranteed US Open wild card entries up for grabs.
The winners of a four-player men’s and women’s singles playoff and a four-team men’s and women’s doubles playoff will earn US Open main draw singles and doubles wild cards, respectively, while the men’s and women’s singles finalists will earn US Open qualifying wild cards.
Participation in the playoffs will be determined by a committee made up of USTA staff, college tennis coaches and an ITA representative. Any American player or American doubles team that wins the NCAA singles or doubles championship or reaches the singles or doubles final at the NCAA DI Individual Championships held in the fall will automatically qualify for the playoffs.
The remaining slots will be awarded by the committee who will evaluate players on a number of factors including 2024-25 match record, ITA ranking, ATP/WTA ranking, professional results, WTN rating and head-to-head results.
Columbia University's Michael Zheng lifts the 2024 NCAA men's singles title. Photo by Greg Sharko/Cracked Racquets.
This pilot program coincides with the NCAA DI Individual Championships shifting to the fall through at least the 2025-26 season.
Previously, the USTA awarded a US Open main draw wild card to American NCAA singles or doubles champions, while an American NCAA singles finalist received a qualifying wild card. Over the past 10 years, an average of less than three NCAA-linked US Open wild cards per year were awarded, despite an increasing prevalence of former college tennis players having success on the professional circuit.
American NCAA champions that have previously benefited from the US Open wild card as way to jumpstart their professional careers include Danielle Collins (Virginia – 2014, ‘16); Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA – 2016); Emma Navarro (Virginia – 2021); Ben Shelton (Florida – 2022); and Peyton Stearns (Texas – 2022).
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