USTA Press Release, November 4, 2025
Elizabeth Mandlik reclaimed the lead of the women’s Australian Open Wild Card Challenge with one week to play, as all attention now shifts to Austin, Texas, where Mandlik, Claire Liu, Anna Rogers and Mary Stoiana lead the contenders vying for the big points available at the WTA125 event playing out there this week.
This is the final week of the women’s challenge, and the women’s wild card will be awarded to the American with the most ranking points earned at a maximum of three tournaments during this five-week window.
Eliot Spizzirri, meanwhile, retook the lead in the men’s Challenge last week, and Martin Damm joined he and Kypson as the three contenders with more than 100 Challenge points. Kypson is playing the ATP Challenger 125 in Helsinki this week, while a host of American men look to start a late push at the USTA Pro Circuit ATP Challenger 50 in Knoxville, Tenn.
Women’s Standings — through Week 4 of 5
(Player’s current ranking in parentheses)
1. Elizabeth Mandlik (202) — 140
2. Claire Liu (221) — 117
3. Elvina Kalieva (203) — 106
4. Anna Rogers (233) — 95
5. Katie Volynets (89) — 90
6. Mary Stoiana (327) — 77
Men’s Standings — through Week 3 of 5
(Player’s current ranking in parentheses)
1. Eliot Spizzirri (96) — 129
2. Patrick Kypson (146) — 122
3. Martin Damm (173) — 102
4. Matthew Forbes (929) — 25
5. Keegan Smith (485) — 24
The USTA and Tennis Australia have a reciprocal agreement in which main draw singles wild cards for the 2026 Australian Open and US Open will be exchanged.
The men’s wild card will be awarded to the American with the most ranking points earned from a maximum of four events during a five-week window that begins this week and runs through the week of November 10. All indoor and outdoor hard-court and carpet events at the M25 level and above, including ATP Tour and Challenger events, will be included in the Challenge.
Ranking points earned in the main draw and qualifying will be counted toward each player’s Challenge point total. Should the player with the highest number of Challenge points earn direct entry into the Australian Open, the wild card will go to the next eligible American in the Challenge points standings. In the event of a tie for the men or the women, the player with the best singles ranking on the Monday immediately following the conclusion of the Challenge will earn the wild card. Americans who otherwise earn direct entry into the Australian Open are not eligible.
