Serena Leads Women’s Field for 2015 U.S. Open

The USTA has announced that world number one and three-time defending champion Serena Williams will lead the women’s field for the 2015 U.S. Open. Serena is joined by 99 of the world’s top 101 women, including world number two and former U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova, 2014 U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki, two-time U.S. Open champion and world number 15 Venus Williams, and former U.S. Open champions Samantha Stosur and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

In total, 33 different countries are represented in the women’s field. Eleven U.S. women received direct entry into the main draw–the most of any country—with seven Americans ranked in the top 50. The 2015 U.S. Open will be played Aug. 31-Sept. 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Leading the entry list is world number one Serena, who won her sixth U.S. Open crown in 2014, tying her with Chris Evert for the most U.S. Open women’s singles titles in the Open Era. This year, Serena is also going for the calendar Grand Slam at the U.S. Open, last won in 1988 by Steffi Graf. Serena won her 21st Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon this month, which ranks third all-time, just one behind Graf (an Open-era record of 22) and Margaret Court (24 all-time).

Joining Serena in the field’s top four are world number two Sharapova of Russia, the 2006 U.S. Open champion who won her fifth Grand Slam singles title last year at the French Open; number three Simona Halep of Romania, a 2014 French Open finalist and Wimbledon semifinalist; and world number four Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion.

Following the top four are: Number five Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, the 2009 and 2014 U.S. Open finalist; number six Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, the 2012 U.S. Open quarterfinalist and 2008 French Open champion; number seven Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, the first Polish player to reach a Grand Slam singles final (2012 Wimbledon) and this year’s Wimbledon semifinalist; number eight Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, who reached her first Grand Slam singles final at the French Open this year and also won this year’s French Open and Australian Open doubles titles; number nine Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain, who reached the final at Wimbledon this year and has never won a U.S. Open main draw match; and world number 10 Carla Suárez Navarro of Spain, a four-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist who reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals in 2013.

Nine players who have won Grand Slam singles titles in their careers are competing in the U.S. Open this year, including two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, former world number one, and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, and 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy.

Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens, ranked 101st, is the last player accepted directly into the women’s field of 128. One player has withdrawn due to a back injury, number 29 Shuai Peng of China. Four players are using a special ranking to gain entry into the main draw–Number 56 Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic, number 58 Laura Robson of Great Britain, number 73 Vania King of the United States, and number 87 Alisa Kleybanova of Russia. Sixteen more players will gain entry through the U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament, Aug. 25-28, while the remaining eight spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA.

In addition to Serena Williams and Venus Williams, the other American women who received direct entry into this year’s tournament include number 18 Madison Keys of Rock Island, Ill.; number 32 Coco Vandeweghe of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; number 34 Sloane Stephens of Coral Springs, Fla.; number 39 Madison Brengle of Dover, Del.; number 45 Varvara Lepchenko of Allentown, Pa.; number 54 Alison Riske of Pittsburgh; number 59 Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, N.J.; number 76 Irina Falconi of West Palm Beach, Fla.; and number 83 Lauren Davis of Boca Raton, Fla.

Several of the young Americans listed above have had breakout performances on the WTA tour this year. Keys reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, while also reaching one WTA final in Charleston, S.C.; Vandeweghe reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals; Stephens reached two WTA semifinals; and Brengle reached her first career WTA final in Hobart.

Among the players competing in the U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament will be the winner of the sixth annual U.S. Open National Playoffs–Women’s Championship, held during the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series Connecticut Open in New Haven, Conn., prior to the U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament. The USTA created the U.S. Open National Playoffs in 2010 to allow players 14 and older, regardless of playing ability or nationality, to vie for a spot in the U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament via one of 14 sectional qualifying tournaments.

The July 20 edition of the WTA rankings was used to determine the U.S. Open main draw entry list. Seeds will be determined and announced closer to the start of the event.