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Venus Williams gets US Open singles wild card

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Serena Williams Venus Williams US OpenSerena Williams Venus Williams US Open

Serena Williams and Venus Williams of the United States confer while playing Marta Kostyuk of Czechia and Peyton Stearns of the United States during day seven of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 17, 2026 in Mason, Ohio. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

NEW YORK — Venus Williams was given a US Open singles wild card on Tuesday and the tournament is keeping one on hold — perhaps in case her sister Serena wants to join her.

Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, was one of six other women to receive a wild card, and the U.S. Tennis Association said the final one is still to be announced.

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That almost certainly would go to Serena Williams, if she decides she wants to return to the tournament at 44.

READ: Serena and Venus Williams return, lose close doubles in Cincinnati

Venus Williams received a wild card last year, returning to the Grand Slam event she won twice for the first time since 2023. The 46-year-old has become the oldest entrant in singles at the tournament since Renee Richards played at 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation.

She has continued to play some singles matches and this week joined Serena for their first doubles tournament together since the 2022 U.S. Open. They lost Monday at the Cincinnati Open in a match tiebreaker against Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.

The sisters planned to play at Wimbledon but had to withdraw after Serena injured her knee in her singles match. That marked her first time playing singles since the 2022 U.S. Open, and she indicated afterward that she hoped to keep competing if healthy.

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Headlining the wild-card recipients on the men’s side were 39-year-old Gael Monfils, a past U.S. Open semifinalist who is set to play his final Grand Slam tournament before retiring, and Australian Alexei Popyrin, who upset Novak Djokovic in 2024 on the way to the fourth round.

One spot is also being held among the eight men’s wild cards. Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 champion at Flushing Meadows who at 41 is playing his final season, could be a candidate for that.

READ: Serena Williams pulls out of Wimbledon doubles with knee injury

Also receiving women’s wild cards were Carol Young Suh Lee, Reese Brantmeier, Thea Frodin, Leolia Jeanjean and Taylah Preston.

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The other men receiving wild cards were two-time reigning NCAA singles champion Michael Zheng, Martin Damm, J.J. Wolf, Sebastian Gorzny and Jack Kennedy.

Kei Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open runner-up who also is retiring, was given a wild card into the men’s qualifying tournament, along with Jordan Lee, Trevor Svajda, Andre Ilagan, Spencer Johnson, Michael Antonius, Andrew Johnson and Daniel Milavsky.

Women given spots in the qualifying tournament were Caroline Dolehide, Janae Preston, Katrina Scott, Ayana Akli, Annika Penickova, Julieta Pareja, Kristina Penickova and Savannah Broadus.

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The main draw begins Aug. 30, with the qualifying tournaments being played earlier that week.

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3 Signs Bron Breakker will lose to Oba Femi at WWE Sunday Night’s Main Event

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At WWE Sunday Night’s Main Event, Bron Breakker and Oba Femi will lock horns to decide the company’s next real future star. Over the past few weeks, The New Big Dog and The Ruler have appeared in several interesting segments.

This culminated in Heyman announcing a match between them for the SNME show next month. Meanwhile, there are already major signs that indicate Bron will lose to the Nigerian star.

In this listicle, we’ll take a quick look at the three signs signaling Bron Breakker’s loss at Sunday Night’s Main Event.


#3. Oba is fresh off retiring Brock for good

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At WWE SummerSlam 2026, Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar competed in a rubber match, which ended with The Ruler slaying The Beast again. In the post-match, Lesnar put Oba over in front of the live crowd, asserting him as WWE’s future.

Following this big momentum, Bron is his first opponent, and this gigantic moment signals that Breakker will lose to him at Sunday Night’s Main Event. As Oba is fresh off retiring the Mayor of Suplex City for good, it’s unlikely that the Triple H-led creative regime will book him to lose and derail his momentum.


#2. Bron has been too emotional, while Femi is calm

Since Brock Lesnar hailed Oba Femi as the future of the company, Bron Breakker is highly focused on proving himself. He has sought validation from Heyman multiple times on RAW, and this eventually led to his upcoming match against the former NXT Champion.

Breakker is not only preparing himself for a match, but his emotions are also running high as he looks to prove himself as the next future star of sports entertainment. On the other hand, Oba Femi is calm and treating this match like a normal bout rather than a high-profile contest.

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So, it wouldn’t be a surprise if his emotions eventually got the better of Bron Breakker and cost him at Sunday Night’s Main Event. The Ruler’s calmness could favor him and help him defeat the current WWE World Tag Team Champion.


#1. Bron needs a reason to leave The Vision on WWE RAW

A battle in the present… and for the future… OBA FEMI. BRON BREAKKER. Sunday Night’s Main Event is LIVE on @peacock Sunday, September 6th.

Bron Breakker is seemingly stuck in The Vision. The alliance also appears to be an obstacle in his singles run in the company. Losing to Oba Femi at Sunday Night’s Main Event will give The Vision member a reason to leave the group and focus on his singles career.

There are already considerable hints that Bron Breakker is leaving The Vision group. Even nowadays, he is more focused on himself than on being a villainous faction member.

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Losing to Oba Femi at WWE SNME will give him a valid reason to finally leave the Austin Theory & Logan Paul-led faction and start a singles run on the main roster again.