The USTA announced that Southern natives, Ashley Harkleroad (Chickamauga, Ga.), and Chanda Rubin (Lafayette, La.), have been awarded women’s singles main draw wild card entries into the 2005 US Open Tennis Championships, which will be played August 29 - September 11 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.
The US Open Women’s Singles Championship is presented by JPMorgan Chase. Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn $1.1 million with the ability to earn up to $2.2 million based on their performances in the US Open Series. In addition, both US Open singles champions will receive a 2006 Lexus GS 430 automobile.
Harkleroad
, 20, is currently No. 142 in the WTA Tour Rankings. In April, she began her comeback on the USTA Pro Circuit after a nine-month break from the game. This summer, she advanced through qualifying to reach the main draw at Wimbledon and won two USTA Pro Circuit events – a $75,000 event in Washington, D.C., and a $50,000 event in Louisville, Ky. Harkleroad, a former top 40 player, reached the final of the WTA Tour event in Auckland last year. Rubin, 29, the winner of seven WTA Tour singles titles, has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the world. She is currently No. 204 in the WTA Tour Rankings, having played a limited schedule since last year’s US Open due to a recurring left knee injury which required surgery last fall. Rubin represented the United States in Fed Cup in 1995-97, 1999, 2003-04, and was a member of the U.S. Olympic tennis team in 1996 and 2004, and the U.S. Pan Am Games team in 1995.
Other wild card recipients include: Mary Gambale (Billerica, Mass.), Alexa Glatch (Newport Beach, Calif.), Carly Gullickson (Boca Raton, Fla.), Angela Haynes (Compton, Calif.), Jessica Kirkland (Dayton, Ohio), Shenay Perry (Coral Springs, Fla.).
For more information visit www.usta.com.