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Former Miami Open champions Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens as well as American Next Gen rising star Learner Tien are among the initial wild card recipients for the Miami Open presented by Itaú, which will take place March 16-30 at the iconic Hard Rock Stadium.
Kvitova, the 2023 Miami winner, and Stephens, the 2018 champion, are joined by Ajla Tomljanovic, Tyra Grant, Alexandra Eala, Victoria Mboko and Sayaka Ishii in receiving wild cards to join the women’s field.
On the men’s side, 19-year-old Tien, who has two wins this season against Top 5 opponents, is joined by Christopher Eubanks, Eliot Spizzirri, Federico Cina and Wu Yibing.
The Miami Open will be Kvitova’s third tournament since giving birth to a son, Petr, seven months ago. A two-time Wimbledon champion, Kvitova owns 31 titles in her career and will be making her 14th appearance in Miami. Stephens includes the 2017 US Open among her eight career titles and she will be playing the Miami Open for the 13th time.
Tomljanovic, a three-time quarterfinalist at Grand Slam events, has played five WTA finals in her career and reached the Austin semifinals last week. This will be her 11th Miami Open appearance.
The remaining WTA wild cards have been awarded to teenagers. Eala, a 19-year-old native of the Philippines, was the 2022 US Open junior winner and previously won a pair of doubles titles at junior Grand Slam events. Mboko, 18, is a Canadian who has already claimed seven professional titles after reaching as high as No. 6 as a junior. Grant, an American who turns 17 next week, has been ranked as high as the No. 2 junior in the world and has won three junior doubles titles at Grand Slam events. Lastly, Ishii, a Japanese 19-year-old, previously held at No. 5 in the junior rankings.
Tien has reached the quarterfinals in two of his last five Tour events along with a run to the Round of 16 at the Australian Open. A two-time US 18s hard court champion, he won seven professional titles during the 2024 season.
Both Eubanks and Wu claimed their first career ATP titles during the 2023 season. For Eubanks, his victory in Mallorca came just months after he reached the Miami Open quarterfinals. Wu, a former junior No. 1, claimed his first ATP title at Dallas, and is returning to action for the first time since September. Spizzirri is a 23-year-old former college standout at the University of Texas who has reached a pair of Challenger finals in his last four events, including winning the title last week in San Diego. Cina is a 17-year-old Italian who peaked at No. 4 in the junior rankings and will be making his ATP debut.
These wild card recipients join the previously announced initial entrants that include seven past Miami Open champions.
Once again, the Miami Open Wheelchair Invitational will take place during the tournament’s second week while padel will make its debut with the Publix Padel Cup in association with RedPADEL.
Known for its world-class culinary experience, the Miami Open presented by Itaú will welcome more than 40 restaurants and bars this year as organizers aim to infuse tennis with the iconic culture of Miami. New this year are popular eateries such as Fabel and Miami Slice along with returning favorites like Kiki on the River and OMAKAI. The official cocktail of the tournament, the Ace Paloma, will also be available at the Dobel Tequila Club in Palm Court and at locations throughout the campus.
For a full list of tournament sponsors and for ticket information, please visit www.miamiopen.com.
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