Pro Media & News

Emilio Nava surges into Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge lead with Pro Circuit title

April 14, 2025

Emilio Nava's recent scorching run at clay Challengers has now put him in pole position for entry into the French Open main draw. 

 

The 23-year-old Southern Californian won his third straight Challenger 75 title last week at the USTA Pro Circuit event in Sarasota, Fla., his first event played during the Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge window. Nava has won 15 straight clay-court Challenger matches and has risen from world No. 238 to No. 140 in the last six weeks. He previously qualified for the Roland Garros main draw in 2023.

 

Star junior Julieta Pareja continues to lead the women's side of the Challenge, while former Roland Garros junior singles champion Whitney Osuigwe, 22, entered the Top 5 with a title at the USTA Pro Circuit W35 in Boca Raton, Fla. In 2017, Osuigwe became the first American to win the French Open girls' title since Jennifer Capriati in 1989 and finished the year as the No. 1 junior in the world. She rose to No. 105 in the WTA rankings in 2019. She's now won two singles titles in her last three events, after winning the W50 in Santo Domingo—the first time Osuigwe has won multiple pro singles titles in a season.

Women's Standings

(Player's current ranking in parentheses)

1. Julieta Pareja (333) -- 116

T2. Louisa Chirico (154) -- 57

T2. Caty McNally (324) -- 57

T4. Whitney Osuigwe (192) -- 35

T4. Monika Ekstrand (731) -- 35

 

Men's Standings

(Player's current ranking in parentheses)

1. Emilio Nava (140) -- 75

2. Colton Smith (166) -- 63

3. Chris Eubanks (110) -- 50

T4. Mackenzie McDonald (100) -- 25

T4. Ethan Quinn (126) -- 25

Emilio Nava at a 2024 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage practice. Photo by Zhe Ji/Getty Images.

Both the men's and women's wild cards will be awarded to the American players with the most ranking points earned—including qualifying and main draw points—at a maximum of three clay-court tournaments during a five-week window: March 31 through May 4. All red-clay and Har-Tru events at the W35 level and above for the women and the M25 level and above for the men, including WTA and ATP Tour events, will be included in the Challenge.

 

Americans who otherwise earn direct entry into the French Open, including those who enter with a protected ranking, are not eligible. Should the player with the highest number of challenge points earn direct entry into the French Open, the wild card will go to the next eligible American in the Challenge points standings. In the event of a tie, the player with the best ATP or best WTA singles ranking on Monday, May 5, will earn the wild card.

 

Read more on the USTA's Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge information page.

 

The USTA and FFT have a reciprocal agreement in which main draw wild cards for the 2025 French Open and US Open will be exchanged. The USTA utilizes this Challenge format to award wild cards into the Australian, French and US Opens.

 

Previous Americans to earn wild cards into the French Open via the Challenge and how far they advanced at Roland Garros are below, including Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Emma Navarro, who won the women's Challenge in 2023 to make her Grand Slam debut outside of the U.S.

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images.
Previous Wild Card Challenge Winners & Roland Garros Results

 

2024: Sachia Vickery (1R); Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (1R)

2023: Emma Navarro (2R); Patrick Kypson (1R)

2022: Katie Volynets (2R); Michael Mmoh (1R) 

2019: Lauren Davis (2R); Tommy Paul (1R)

2018: Taylor Townsend (2R); Noah Rubin (1R) 

2017: Amanda Anisimova (1R); Tennys Sandgren (1R) 

2016: Taylor Townsend (2R); Bjorn Fratangelo (2R) 

2015: Louisa Chirico (1R); Frances Tiafoe (1R)

2014: Taylor Townsend (3R); Robby Ginepri (1R)

2013: Shelby Rogers (2R); Alex Kuznetsov (1R)

2012: Melanie Oudin (2R); Brian Baker (2R)

 

Roland Garros 2025 will be held from May 25 - June 8 in Paris.

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