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

Noah Rubin, 19, of Long Island, N.Y., has earned a spot in the main draw of the Australian Open for the first time after clinching the USTA Pro Circuit Australian Open Wild Card Challenge today. Rubin clinched the wild card when fellow young American Taylor Fritz, the only player who could surpass him in the wild card challenge standings, lost in the final of the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Champaign, Ill. Rubin earned 80 points in the wild card challenge by winning the $50,000 Challenger in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month—his first USTA Pro Circuit singles title.

Rubin, currently ranked No. 339 in the world, earned a wild card into the 2014 US Open as the 2014 USTA Boys’ 18s singles champion—his only other Grand Slam main draw appearance. Rubin completed a standout freshman campaign at Wake Forest this May, advancing to the 2015 NCAA singles final. He also became the first player in ACC men’s tennis history to earn ACC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors in one season, as well as the first ACC men’s tennis Player of the Year in Wake Forest men’s tennis history. He was also the ITA Rookie of the Year and earned All-America honors. Rubin, who has since turned pro, was a standout junior player, winning the 2014 USTA Boys’ 18s national singles title and the 2014 Wimbledon junior title. At Wimbledon, Rubin won the first all-American boys’ singles final at Wimbledon since 1977, topping Stefan Kozlov in the title match. Rubin then made his Grand Slam men’s singles debut at the US Open as a wild card. This summer, he reached the final of the $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures in Tulsa, Okla., received a main-draw wild card into the ATP’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I., and also competed in US Open qualifying. Rubin is a protégé of John McEnroe’s at his Randall’s Island, N.Y., academy.

Samantha Crawford, 20, of Tamarac, Fla., earned the women’s wild card earlier this month. Crawford, who also earned a wild card into the 2015 US Open by winning the USTA Pro Circuit’s US Open Wild Card Challenge, secured the Australian Open berth by winning the $50,000 Copperwynd Pro Women’s Challenge in Scottsdale, Ariz.—her first career singles professional title. Crawford has enjoyed previous Grand Slam success. In 2012, she won the US Open girls’ singles title and also qualified for the women’s singles main draw as a qualifying wild card. She has also competed in the US Open women’s doubles draw three times (2011-12, 2014). This year, Crawford advanced to four USTA Pro Circuit singles finals (including Scottsdale) and won two USTA Pro Circuit doubles titles. As a junior player, she rose to No. 5 in the ITF World Junior Rankings in 2012. She is currently ranked a career-high No. 155 in the world.

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