Fratangelo Current Frontrunner in USTA Pro Circuit Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge

April 18, 2016 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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Bjorn Fratangelo is in first place in the men’s USTA Pro Circuit Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge Standings at the end of Week 1, putting him in the early lead to earn a main-draw wild card into the 2016 French Open. The men’s Wild Card Challenge continues this week with the $50,000 St. Joseph’s/Candler Savannah Challenger in Savannah, Ga., while the women’s wild card challenge kicks off this week with the main draw of the $50,000 Hardee’s Pro Classic in Dothan, Ala.

Fratangelo reached the semifinals at the $100,000 Joey Gratton Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Fla., last week, earning 35 points. Noah Rubin is in second place with 18 points after reaching the quarterfinals in Sarasota.

Savannah and Dothan will be streamed live on ProCircuit.USTA.com. Action can also be followed on the USTA Pro Circuit app by searching “procircuit” in the app store.

USTA Player Development will award a French Open main-draw wild card to one American man and one American woman who earn the most ATP World Tour and WTA Tour ranking points in a series of USTA Pro Circuit clay-court events this spring.

Ranking points from two out of the three men’s and women’s events will be used and combined to calculate the point total and determine the French Open wild card recipient. If a player competes in more than two events, only his or her two best tournaments will be counted in calculating the point total. In the event of a tie, the player with the best ATP or WTA singles ranking in the published rankings of Monday, May 2 (men), and Monday, May 9 (women), will be awarded the wild card. Only players who have not earned direct acceptance into Roland Garros are eligible for the wild card.

The standings, as of April 18, are as follows:

The USTA first used the wild card challenge format for its 2012 French Open wild cards, won byMelanie Oudin and Brian Baker. Oudin and Baker each advanced to the second round at that year’s French Open and subsequently broke into the Top 100. In 2013, Alex Kuznetsov andShelby Rogers earned the wild cards, with Rogers winning her first-ever Grand Slam singles match at the French Open. In 2014, young American Taylor Townsend and veteran Robby Ginepri received the wild cards, with Townsend becoming a top storyline by reaching the Roland Garros third round. Last year, young Americans Frances Tiafoe and Louisa Chirico secured the wild cards.


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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