NEW YORK (Reuters) –U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu will play in her first tournament since stunning the tennis world at Flushing Meadows after being handed a wildcard for next month’s WTA 1000 tournament at Indian Wells, organizers said on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old Briton became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam earlier this month when she beat fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez of Canada in straight sets.
“2021 U.S. Open Champion and rising WTA Tour star Emma Raducanu has been awarded a wildcard into the BNP Paribas Open, a combined ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event to be held October 4–17, 2021 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden,” organizers said in a statement.
Her entry into the Indian Wells tournament, often called the “fifth major”, will allow her to compete for the 1,000 ranking points up for grabs and possibly give her an outside shot at qualifying for the season-ending WTA Finals in Guadalajara.