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Thea Frodin Makes US Open Main-Draw Debut Against World No. 2 Rybakina

Her wild card from the USTA girls’ national title gives the 17-year-old a direct route from junior success to a first WTA-level match at Flushing Meadows.

Overview

  • Frodin, 17, earned a US Open main-draw wild card by winning the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s National Championships earlier this month and now faces Elena Rybakina in the first round.
  • This will be Frodin’s first WTA Tour-level singles match and she enters the draw ranked about No. 580 with an 18-10 record for the season.
  • Frodin spent six months as the junior tennis body and stunt double for a young Serena Williams in the 2021 film King Richard and says that role influenced her early technique.
  • Rybakina retired from Cincinnati with an ankle complaint but has resumed practicing at Flushing Meadows and has said she expects to play in the match.
  • The pairing highlights the USTA wild-card pathway that moves top American juniors into Grand Slam draws and could accelerate Frodin’s transition from junior to professional tennis.