Fallen Aussie tennis star Alexei Popyrin nabs crucial US Open wildcard after rocky ride

Two years since his Canadian Open triumph signalled stellar things ahead for Alexei Popyrin, the one-time soaring star of Australian tennis has been ailing so badly, he’s now had to rely on a reciprocal wildcard to guarantee his place at the US Open .

After that maiden Masters 1000 victory in Montreal — a feat even national No.1 Alex de Minaur has yet to achieve — Popyrin went into that year’s New York grand slam at a new career-high of 23 and proceeded to beat second seed Novak Djokovic en route to the US Open last-16.

But it’s been a rocky ride for the talented Sydney beanpole since then, especially over a difficult 2026 campaign during which his ranking plummeted back to 139 in the world, leaving him to even miss out on automatic qualification for the US slam.

But Montreal may again have proved a crucial pick-me-up for the 27-year-old, as he battled through qualifying and won a couple of rounds at the Canadian Open earlier in the month to regain 11 places in the rankings.

It’s left tennis chiefs back home supporting the former world No.19 as the Aussie they still want to see in the Flushing Meadows main draw under the reciprocal agreement they have with the French and US Opens, who can pick one of their own players for the Australian Open.

So with Tuesday’s announcement, Popyrin will join the already qualified Alex de Minaur, James Duckworth, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Rinky Hijikata, Adam Walton and Aleksandar Vukic in the seven-strong Australian men’s contingent for the US Open main draw that kicks off on August 30.

The five already qualified women — new Aussie No.1 Talia Gibson, Maya Joint, Daria Kasatkina, Kim Birrell and Ajla Tomljanovic — will be joined by Taylah Preston, who’s earned the prized women’s wildcard under the US-Aussie arrangement.

The 20-year-old Preston, currently the sixth-ranked Australian at No.101 in the world, reached her first WTA semi-final in Hobart in January and won her first WTA 125 title in Vancouver last month, so looked an obvious pick ahead of teenage compatriot Emerson Jones.

On the international front, 46-year-old Venus Williams was the biggest name to feature in the singles wildcard list on Tuesday — and the tournament is keeping one on hold, doubtless for her 44-year-old sister Serena should she require it.

Two-time winner Venus is the oldest US open singles entrant since 47-year-old Renee Richards in 1981, and there’s hope she and Serena will play the doubles after their first tournament together for four years at the Cincinnati Open, where they lost to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.

The sisters planned to play at Wimbledon but had to withdraw after Serena injured her knee in her singles match.

Headlining the wildcard recipients on the men’s side is everyone’s favourite Frenchman, 39-year-old Gael Monfils, a past US Open semi-finalist who’s set for his final grand slam before retiring.

One spot is also being held, presumably for Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 champion who’s in his last season at 41.

Elina Svitolina, wife of Monfils and one of the favourites for the women’s title, has had a pre-event scare, deciding to pull out of the Cincinnati Open ahead of a third-round match because of a right