Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Nicole Gibbs and Anna Tatishvili are now tied for first place in the women’s standings after the second week of the 2015 USTA Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Card Challenge. Gibbs reached the final of the Bush’s $50,000 Waco Showdown in Waco, Texas, this past weekend, to claim 48 points and tie Tatishvili in the standings with 63 points. Julia Boserup is in third place with 37 points, while Jennifer Brady and Katerina Stewart are tied for fourth place with 16 points.

As of this week, Tatishvili is ranked No. 100 in the world and Gibbs is ranked No. 119, which means that both are approaching the cutoff for the Australian Open. The USTA Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Card Challenge is open to Americans who do not earn direct entry into the Australian Open. The Australian Open entry list will be released in early December, which could affect player eligibility for the wild card challenge.

In the men’s standings, young American Noah Rubin took the early lead with 80 points by capturing his first career USTA Pro Circuit title at the $50,000 Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger in Charlottesville, Va., defeating fellow young American Tommy Paul, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-3, in the final. Paul earned 48 points by reaching the final.

The USTA Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Card Challenge concludes this week for the women, with the $50,000 Copperwynd Pro Women’s Challenge in Scottsdale, Ariz. The men’s challenge continues into its second week at the $50,000 Knoxville 2015 Challenger in Knoxville, Tenn. All matches will be streamed live on www.procircuit.usta.com and can also be followed on the USTA Pro Circuit app by searching “procircuit” in the app store.

In the USTA Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Card Challenge, the USTA awards a 2016 Australian Open wild card to the American man and American woman who earn the most ATP World Tour and WTA ranking points at two of the three select USTA Pro Circuit hard-court events this fall. Only Americans who did not earn direct entry into the Australian Open are eligible. The USTA and Tennis Australia have a reciprocal agreement in which wild cards into the 2015 US Open and 2016 Australian Open are exchanged. In the event of a tie, the player with the best ATP or WTA singles ranking will be awarded the wild card.

The 2016 Australian Open main draw will be held Monday, Jan. 18, to Sunday, Jan. 31.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.