VENUS Williams is headed back to the US Open after receiving a singles wild card on Tuesday (Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, PH time), and tournament organizers have left one final spot open — widely expected to be for her younger sister, Serena, should she choose to compete.
At 46, Venus will be the oldest women’s singles entrant at Flushing Meadows since Renee Richards, who played at 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation.
She also received a wild card last year, marking her first appearance at the Grand Slam event — which she has won twice — since 2023.
She has continued to play occasional singles matches and recently teamed up with Serena for their first doubles outing together since the 2022 US Open. The pair lost in a match tiebreaker on Monday at the Cincinnati Open.
The sisters had intended to play doubles at Wimbledon but were forced to withdraw after Serena injured her knee during her singles match.
According to an Associated Press (AP) report, that appearance was her first in singles since the 2022 US Open, and she later suggested she would like to continue competing if her body allows.
Among the other women receiving wild cards are 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, Carol Young Suh Lee, Reese Brantmeier, Thea Frodin, Leolia Jeanjean, and Taylah Preston.
The AP report said the men’s wild-card list is headed by 39-year-old Gael Monfils, a former US Open semifinalist who is playing his final Grand Slam before retirement. Also included is Australian Alexei Popyrin, who stunned Novak Djokovic en route to the fourth round in 2024.
One men’s wild card remains unassigned, with 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka — who is also in his farewell season at 41 — seen as a likely candidate.
Other men’s wild-card recipients are two-time NCAA singles champion Michael Zheng, Martin Damm, J.J. Wolf, Sebastian Gorzny, and Jack Kennedy.
Kei Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up who is also nearing the end of his career, was given a wild card into the men’s qualifying tournament, alongside Jordan Lee, Trevor Svajda, Andre Ilagan, Spencer Johnson, Michael Antonius, Andrew Johnson, and Daniel Milavsky.
The women’s qualifying wild cards went to Caroline Dolehide, Janae Preston, Katrina Scott, Ayana Akli, Annika Penickova, Julieta Pareja, Kristina Penickova, and Savannah Broadus.
The main draw begins on Aug. 30, with qualifying matches scheduled earlier that week. / LBG
