ORLANDO, November 11, 2025 (USTA Press Release)

Elizabeth Mandlik and Patrick Kypson clinched main draw wild cards into the 2026 Australian Open by finishing first in the women’s and men’s Australian Open Wild Card Challenge. 

Mandlik, 24, won the women’s Challenge with 166 points, earned from winning the W100 in Edmond, Okla. (100), reaching the semifinals at the W100 in Irapuato, Mexico (39) and the quarterfinals at the WTA 125 in Austin, Texas (27). Mandlik — the daughter of four-time Grand Slam singles champion Hana Mandlikova, who won the Australian Open singles title in 1980 and 1987 — previously played in the Australian Open singles main draw in 2023. She also made Grand slam main draw appearances at the 2022 US Open and the 2023 French Open.

Kypson clinched the men’s Challenge with one week still left to play. His 247 points – earned in large part from winning Challenger singles titles at the 100 in Sioux Falls, S.D. (100), and at the 125 in Helsinki, Finland (125) – give him an insurmountable lead. Former Challenge leader and second-place Eliot Spizzirri’s ranking has risen to No. 87, which will qualify him for direct entry. Kypson, 26, previously won the Australian Open Wild Card Challenge two years ago to make his main draw debut in Melbourne in 2024, and also won the 2023 Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge.

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. Americans who otherwise earn direct entry into the Australian Open are not eligible.

Women’s Standings — Final

(Player’s current ranking in parentheses)

1. Elizabeth Mandlik (185) — 166
2. Claire Liu (209) — 138
3. Elvina Kalieva (204) — 106
4. Mary Stoiana (297) — 104

Men’s Standings — through Week 4 of 5

(Player’s current ranking in parentheses)

1. Patrick Kypson (117) — 247
2. Eliot Spizzirri (87) — 167.
3. Martin Damm (174) — 102
4. Mitchell Krueger (202) — 62
5. Matthew Forbes (931) — 25