Venus Williams given US Open singles wild card; 45-year-old will be oldest player in main draw since 1981

Former Australian Open semifinalist Hyeon Chung was among the players who successfully qualified for the US Open main draw on Friday. The No. 29 seed won 56 percent of his return points to brush aside No. 9 seed Mikael Ymer, 6-1, 6-3.

Chung, who missed more than five months due to a back injury, returned by playing on the ATP Challenger tour prior to his New York arrival. He won his first event in Chengdu to begin rebuilding his ranking, which fell outside the Top 150.

Only one American qualified on the men's side, 18-year-old Jenson Brooksby. The Sacramento, CA native, ranked No. 393, held off Pedro Martinez, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, in two hours and 41 minutes to secure his second main-draw berth at Flushing Meadows. Brooksby, an incoming freshman at Baylor University, made his debut last year after winning the USTA Boys’ 18 National Championships to earn a wild card.

Brooksby’s countrywomen, Caroline Dolehide and Taylor Townsend, joined him in the win column. Dolehide defeated Anna-Lena Friedsam, 6-4, 6-3, while Townsend, the No. 13 seed, rallied past Nina Stojanovic, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1, to clinch her spot in the main draw for the fourth consecutive year.

In other matches, Italy's Jannick Sinner advanced to the main draw with a 7-6 (1), 6-0 victory over Spain's Mario Vilella Martínez. Ranked in the 500's at the beginning of the year, the 18-year-old Sinner has skyrocketed up the rankings after winning two Challengers, including in Lexington, KY a few weeks ago. He came into qualifying just one spot of his career-high of No. 130.

Hyeon Chung qualifies for US Open; Dolehide, Townsend also move on

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