“I definitely feel I’ll play well. I’m still the same player – I’m a big hitter, I hit big. This is my brand,” declared Venus Williams last month, as she etched her name into history by becoming the oldest player to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova’s 2004 Wimbledon triumph. Her joy was unmistakable, especially with a mixed doubles wildcard at the US Open alongside the towering 6-foot-11 Reilly Opelka. But while her doubles dream is alive at the slam, her singles hopes for a US Open wildcard hang in the balance. Why? A hungry 23-year-old American threat now looms large, making Venus’ path anything but guaranteed.

The road to New York is heating up as American hopefuls dive into the USTA’s 2025 US Open Wild Card Challenge. This high-stakes race offers one American man and woman a coveted singles main-draw wildcard, earned through performance on the gritty hard courts. The men kicked things off the week of June 30, while the women’s battle blazes from July 21 through August 4.

For the women, it’s all about ranking points. The wildcard goes to the American who racks up the highest cumulative WTA singles points from their best two results over the three weeks. Events at the W35 level and above, indoors or out, are fair game. Every point counts. Every set matters!

On the women’s side of the 2025 US Open Wild Card Challenge, the momentum is tilting heavily in one direction. Caty McNally is sprinting ahead while the rest chase shadows. Her title-winning run at the USTA Pro Circuit W100 in Evansville, Indiana, didn’t just earn her a trophy; it catapulted her to the top of the Challenge leaderboard. That dominant performance has handed McNally a commanding 105-point lead over her closest rival.

Standing in second is none other than Venus Williams, who recently lit up the Mubadala Citi DC Open with her first singles victory in two years. Last week, the gap between them was only 40 points, but McNally’s appearance in the Canadian Open, where she made it to the Round of 32 before bowing out to Madison Keys, widened the lead significantly.

There’s still a twist in the tale. Results from the first two rounds of the Cincinnati Open could shake up the standings if all matches wrap up by Monday, August 11. Otherwise, only first-round points will count. Main draw or qualifiers, every point earned fuels the climb in this high-stakes Challenge.

But there’s a catch: only Americans who don’t earn direct entry into the US Open, via ranking or protected status, are eligible. If the top scorer qualifies outright, the wildcard passes to the next eligible player. And if it comes down to a tie? The WTA or ATP singles ranking on August 11 will serve as the tiebreaker.

Meanwhile, Venus Williams, though clinging to a narrow chance for wildcard entry, reveals a bizarre post-surgery wish following her life-threatening fibroid ordeal. Her path may be uncertain, but the fire, the fight, and the flair remain untamed.