USTA Press Release, May 3, 2022
Michael Mmoh earned a wild card into the main draw of the French Open by finishing first on the men’s side of the USTA’s Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge.
The 24-year-old Mmoh, who was ranked as high as No. 96 in singles as a 20-year old in 2018, earned 110 points over his best three events during the four weeks of the men’s Challenge: 51 from qualifying and reaching the quarterfinals at the Houston ATP 250; 50 from reaching the final of the USTA Pro Circuit ATP Challenger 80 in Tallahassee, Fla.; 9 from reaching the second round at the USTA Pro Circuit ATP Challenger 100 in Sarasota, Fla.
Jack Sock, by nature of winning the title at the USTA Pro Circuit Challenger 80 in Savannah, Ga., and reaching the quarterfinals in Sarasota, finished second in the standings, and would be the next in line to receive the wild card should Mmoh be unable to compete at Roland Garros. The final men’s Top 3:
1. Michael Mmoh – 110
2. Jack Sock – 100
3. Steve Johnson – 80
The women’s Challenge enters its final week with a new leader and plenty of players still in the running. Taylor Townsend vaulted to first place by winning the singles title at the USTA Pro Circuit W100 event in Charleston, S.C., this past week, only her third tournament back after a nearly two-year hiatus to give birth to her son. The top five in the women’s standings are below (based on their best three results), as the Challenge will likely be decided by results this week at the USTA Pro Circuit W100 event in Bonita Springs, Fla.
1. Taylor Townsend – 183
2. Katie Volynets – 174
3. Louisa Chirico – 167
4. CoCo Vandeweghe – 115
5. Whitney Osuigwe – 71
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.
