Former US Open champions Sloane Stephens and Bianca Andreescu have received wild card entries to compete in the upcoming Guadalajara Open, securing two notable spots in the tournament’s fifth-edition draw. According to tournament announcements covered by major sports outlets, the WTA 500 event is scheduled to take place from September 13 to 19 at the Centro Panamericano de Tenis in Zapopan, Mexico, bringing a pair of Grand Slam titleholders back to familiar hard courts in Jalisco.
Sloane Stephens Returns to the Scene of a Career Milestone
For Sloane Stephens, the trip to Zapopan serves as a return to a venue where she has previously hoisted a trophy. According to tournament records, the 33-year-old American claimed the inaugural title of the Guadalajara tournament in 2022 by defeating Czech player Marie Bouzková in the final. Stephens reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world in 2018 and holds eight WTA singles titles, anchored by her breakthrough 2017 US Open championship victory over compatriot Madison Keys.
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Her recent competitive record shows a demanding 2026 season on tour. Records show Stephens has contested 18 matches this year with a 15–17 win-loss record, earning 410 mil 588 dólares in prize money. Across her career, she has amassed 395 victories against 307 defeats in singles play, along with 19 millones 431 mil 719 dólares in career earnings. In her most recent Grand Slam appearance at the US Open, she advanced past Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the opening round before falling to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the second round.
Bianca Andreescu Looks to Reclaim Momentum in Mexico
Bianca Andreescu also brings a strong history in Guadalajara to the tournament’s fifth edition. Reporting on the wild card allocations highlights her 2022 campaign in Mexico, highlighted by a three-set victory over Petra Kvitová. Andreescu climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 4 in October 2019, the same year she captured the US Open title by defeating Serena Williams in the final to become the first Canadian to win a singles Grand Slam tournament.
The Canadian player’s resume features three career WTA titles, including victories at Indian Wells and Toronto. In 2026, Andreescu has appeared in nine matches, striking 40 aces and maintaining a 62 percent success rate on service games, backed by a 235–127 career singles record. She enters the Zapopan draw following a run to the final round of the US Open qualifying tournament, aiming to leverage the wild card invitation to re-establish herself in the main draws of high-level WTA competitions.
Tournament Context and Wider WTA Standing
Both players have previously experienced early exits or tough battles in Zapopan—such as Stephens’ three-set loss to Italy’s Lucrezia Stefanini in the opening round of the 2025 edition—making their 2026 wild card appearances an opportunity to write a different chapter on the Mexican hard courts.
Worth a look
