USTA Press Release, April 26, 2022
Michael Mmoh or JJ Wolf will earn a main draw wild card into the French Open this week in Savannah, Ga., as the men’s side of the Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge concludes.
Mmoh is the current leader in the Challenge standings and can clinch the wild card by reaching the quarterfinals at the USTA Pro Circuit ATP Challenger 80 in Savannah. Wolf is the only player who can catch him, as second-place Steve Johnson and third-place Mitchell Krueger are idle, but Wolf needs to win the tournament to do so. Mmoh and Wolf could potentially meet in the second round, so Mmoh would clinch if he makes the quarterfinals or if Wolf loses at any point this week. Christian Harrison could potentially finish second by winning the title in Savannah, though with Mmoh ranked No. 179 and Wolf ranked No. 142, the wild card is likely to go to the Challenge’s first-place finisher:
1. Michael Mmoh – 110
2. Steve Johnson – 803. Mitchell Krueger – 594. JJ Wolf – 56
5. Christian Harrison – 33
The women’s Challenge still has two more weeks left, as 25-year-old Louisa Chirico, who in 2016 reached the Madrid semifinals and rose to No. 58 in the world as a 20-year old, won the singles title at the USTA Pro Circuit W60 event in Charlottesville, Va., last week to vault herself into the lead of what is looking increasingly like a three-player race:
1. Louisa Chirico – 167
2. Katie Volynets – 150
3. CoCo Vandeweghe – 114
4. Grace Min – 56
5. Sophie Chang – 50
Both the men’s and women’s wild cards will be awarded to the Americans with the most ranking points earned at a maximum of three clay-court tournaments during a five-week window for the women and a four-week window for the men. All red-clay and Har-Tru events at the 25 level and above, including WTA and ATP Tour events, will be included in the Challenge. The Men’s Challenge runs through the week of April 25, while the Women’s Challenge runs through May 2.
Americans who otherwise earn direct entry into the French Open are not eligible, nor are players ranked in the ATP or WTA Top 50 at the start of 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 best WTA singles ranking on the Monday immediately following the challenge’s conclusion will earn the wild card.
