American rising tennis stars Iva Jovic and Emilio Nava are headed to Paris with a purpose, having clinched main-draw wild cards into the 2025 French Open after topping the USTA’s Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge.
Over the last five weeks, their efforts on the clay courts earned them the golden ticket to compete at one of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments — Roland Garros. The much-awaited competition runs from May 25 to June 8.
Breaking Down the Winning Scores That Earned Iva Jovic and Emilio Nava the French Open Wildcard
The Wild Card Challenge is the USTA’s competitive pathway that awards Grand Slam main-draw wild cards to American men and women based on their performance across select clay-court tournaments in the spring.
This year’s Challenge ran from March 31 to May 4 and factored in ranking points from a maximum of three events, including qualifying and main-draw results. It’s part of a broader reciprocal agreement between the USTA and the French Tennis Federation (FFT), which facilitates wild card exchanges for the French and the US Opens.
Jovic, 17, collected 142 points over the Challenge period. She earned a hefty 100 points with a title win at the USTA Pro Circuit W100 event in Charlottesville, Virginia. Additional points came from reaching the second round at the WTA 250 event in Colombia (30 points) and the W100 in Bonita Springs, Florida (12 points).
This latest wild card adds to her growing list of major milestones — she also competed in the main draw of the 2024 US Open and the 2025 Australian Open, both through similar USTA pathways. Impressively, she reached the second round in both Grand Slam appearances.
On the men’s side, 23-year-old Emilio Nava put together a dominant run, highlighted by a 19-match win streak that helped him accumulate 119 points. Nava won the ATP Challenger title in Sarasota, Florida (75 points) and reached the final in Tallahassee (44 points).
He’s no stranger to the Grand Slam spotlight, having previously qualified for Roland Garros in 2023 and pushing former US Open finalist Casper Ruud to four sets in the 2023 US Open first round after coming through qualifying.
The USTA confirmed the news on its official social media channels on May 6, celebrating the accomplishments of both young stars and highlighting their upcoming appearances in Paris.
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The Challenge has historically been a launchpad for several now-established American players—including Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, and Emma Navarro—to make their mark on Roland Garros’ red clay.
Iva Jovic’s Longtime Doubles Partner Tyra Grant Accepts Italian Open Wildcard Amid Letter to USTA and Allegiance Switch
Tyra Grant, a promising 17-year-old tennis star, has officially switched her national allegiance from the United States to Italy. In an emotional Instagram post, she thanked the USTA for its support and confirmed the decision ahead of her appearance at the 2025 Italian Open in Rome.
Born in Rome to an American father and Italian mother, Grant trained in both countries and represented the U.S. in juniors, winning doubles titles at the French Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon. She now joins the Italian federation, citing a strong connection to her birthplace and gratitude to FITP President Angelo Binaghi.
Grant recently teamed up with Iva Jovic at the 2024 US Open girls’ doubles, where they exited in the first round.