Overview
- Frodin earned a US Open main-draw wild card by winning the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championships in San Diego earlier this month.
- She was about 12 when she worked as the junior stunt and body double for Serena Williams in the 2021 film King Richard, a detail that frames her debut as a full‑circle moment while Serena and Venus appear at the tournament in doubles.
- Thea enters Flushing Meadows as a rising junior who is ranked around No. 580 and who reached the 2026 Australian Open girls’ semifinals, was a 2025 Wimbledon girls’ doubles runner-up, and has begun recording pro results including an ITF final.
- Elena Rybakina is the world No. 2 and a recent Australian Open and WTA Finals champion, so she is the heavy favorite; she retired in Cincinnati with an ankle issue but has resumed practice and says she expects to play.
- The match will give Frodin rare top-level exposure that could speed her transition to the pro tour by affecting her ranking, confidence, and visibility to sponsors while offering a real-time test of Rybakina’s fitness.