Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu handed US Open wildcards

The stars join Americans Amanda Anisimova, McCartney Kessler, Alexa Noel and Iva Jovic, plus France's Chloe Paquet and Australia's Taylah Preston.

The names were revealed along with the men's wild cards, which include former champs Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka.

Osaka is back at the US Open after missing the 2023 event after the birth of her first daughter. The former world No. 1 returned to the WTA tour in January and has advanced to the third round or better at four WTA 1000 events so far this season, helping her rise back into the Top 100.

The 26-year-old won the US Open in 2018 and 2020, and backed both titles up with the Australian Open crown to start the following season. Each of the four times she has reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal, she has gone on to win the trophy.

Osaka beat 2022 US Open finalist Ons Jabeur in Toronto earlier this month but fell to 20-year-old American Ashlyn Krueger in Cincinnati qualifying Monday. After that defeat, she shared a vulnerable Instagram post, saying in part: "My biggest issue is that I don't feel like I'm in body. It's a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn't miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to."

But she closed her comments on a positive note, turning her attention to the US Open.

"Nothing in life is promised but I realized that I can promise myself to work as hard as I can and give it my best shot till the very end," she wrote. "See you in New York."

Andreescu also missed the 2023 US Open, part of nine months out of action with a back injury. She returned to competition at Roland Garros this spring, where she reached the third round. In her second tournament back, she made her first WTA final in nearly two years the grass-court WTA 250 in 's-Hertogenbosch.

The 24-year-old Canadian has competed just three times in the New York main draw, compiling a 12-2 record. After winning the title in her 2019 debut, she advanced to the fourth round in 2021 and the third round in 2022.

Anisimova earned her wild card by winning the US Open Wild Card Challenge, buoyed by a runner-up finish last week at the WTA 1000 in Toronto. The 22-year-old American notched four consecutive Top 20 wins to reach the biggest final of her career, including a quarterfinal upset of 2023 US Open finalist Aryna Sabalenka, and moved back into the Top 50 as a result of her run.

After taking a mental health break from professional tennis for eight months in 2023, Anisimova returned in January and reached the Australian Open fourth round.

"I put the work in, I kept my head down, and I tried to come back to the sport with more of a relaxed feeling," she said after falling to fellow American Jessica Pegula the Toronto final, as quoted on wtatennis.com. "Trying to enjoy each day as it comes and not being so serious about everything, because I think that takes away the joy from a lot of things. I think with that kind of approach to my everyday life, I think that's helped me a lot."

Kessler, 25, is currently ranked a career-best No. 100. The former All-American at the University of Florida made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2024 Australian Open after winning the USTA‘s Wild Card Challenge, reaching the second round in Melbourne. She also qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon this year and won the singles title at the USTA Pro Circuit W75 event in Rome, Ga., less than an hour from her hometown of Calhoun, Ga.

Noel, 21, earned the wild card customarily awarded to an American NCAA singles champion by winning the title in May as a redshirt junior at the University of Miami. She‘ll be making her return to the US Open for the first time since 2019, when she competed in the doubles main draw as the USTA Girls‘ 18s national doubles champion.

Jovic, 16, won the singles title at the USTA Girls‘ 18s National Championships. She is currently ranked No. 5 in the ITF world junior rankings and has won the girls‘ doubles titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year. She has also helped lead the U.S. to back-to-back Junior Billie Jean King Cup titles.

Paquet, 30, is currently ranked No. 97, one spot off her career high. She earned her wild card based on a reciprocal agreement between the USTA and FFT where wild cards between the US Open and Roland Garros are exchanged.

Preston, 18, is currently ranked No. 146 and made her Grand Slam debut at the 2024 Australian Open. She earned her wild card based on a reciprocal agreement between the USTA and Tennis Australia where wild cards between the US Open and Australian Open are exchanged.