Two Past Champions Awarded Miami Open Presented by Itaú Wild Cards

Five rising teens also added to fields; Play gets underway Sunday

Three-time Miami Open winner Venus Williams, former champion Sloane Stephens, and five rising teenagers are among the wild card recipients for the Miami Open presented by Itaú which runs March 15-29 at the Hard Rock Stadium.

Williams made her Miami debut 29 years ago in 1997 and won her first Miami trophy just one year later, while Stephens captured the title in 2018. The Americans will be joined by fellow women’s wild card recipients Taylor Townsend, Ashlyn Krueger, Jennifer Brady, Lilli Tagger, Emerson Jones and Darja Vidmanova.

Men’s main draw wild cards have been awarded to Martin Damm, Darwin Blanch, Moise Kouame, Wu Yibing and Rei Sakamoto.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams – a three-time Miami Open winner and former World No. 1 – returns for her 23rd appearance at the tournament. At age 45, she will be competing in her 111th WTA 1000-level event (the fifth most in history), underscoring a career defined by remarkable longevity at the highest level.

Stephens, an eight-time WTA title winner, claimed the 2017 US Open and in 2018 she was the runner-up at both Roland Garros and the WTA Finals.

Krueger, a 21-year-old from Dallas, reached the Round of 16 last year with wins over Elena Rybakina (her first Top-10 victory) and Leylah Fernandez. She recently reached the semifinals in Austin and the third round in Indian Wells.

Townsend reached her first singles WTA final in Austin earlier this month and has reached the Miami Open third round in back-to-back years. She is also a two-time doubles Grand Slam champion and 2023 Miami doubles finalist.

Tagger turned 18 last month. The Austrian won last year’s Roland Garros junior title and reached her first WTA final during the last week of the 2025 season.

Brady helped UCLA win an NCAA team title before a pro career that has been highlighted by reaching the 2021 Australian Open final.  Vidmanova played at Georgia where she won the NCAA triple crown, claiming the team, singles and doubles championships during her career. Jones, a 17-year-old Australian, is a former junior No. 1 who captured her fourth career ITF title in February.

The teenaged men’s entrants will each be making their Miami Open debut. Kouama, 17, has won two ITF titles already this season, while Japan’s Sakamoto, 19, owns three career ATP Challenger titles. Blanch, 18, became the youngest American to win an ATP match since 2015 when he defeated Borna Coric in Winston-Salem last year.

Damm, 22, reached his first ATP semifinal in Montpellier last month as a qualifier, and Wu is the first Chinese player to win an ATP title, doing so in Dallas in 2023.

The initial list of qualifying wild card recipients includes Erika Andreeva, Reese Brantmeier, Mary Stoiana, Ayla Aksu, Thea Frodin, Monika Ekstrand, Martin Ladaluce, Luis Guto Miguel, Manas Dhamne and Diego Dedura-Palomero.

More wild card recipients are still to be announced. These players join the previously announced list of entrants that includes eight past Miami Open champions.

The Miami Open presented by Itaú will air on Tennis Channel and the Tennis Channel app in the United States.

Play begins with qualifying rounds on March 15-17 followed by main draw action beginning on March 17. The tournament will conclude with the women’s singles final on March 28 followed by the men’s title match final on March 29.

Single-session tickets and grounds passes for the 2026 Miami Open presented by Itaú are still available. Secure your tickets today to enjoy world-class tennis, premier culinary offerings and the tournament’s festival environment at miamiopen.com/tickets/.

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About the Miami Open presented by Itaú

The 2026 Miami Open presented by Itaú will be played March 15 – March 29 at Hard Rock Stadium. The 15-day event is owned and operated by MARI and Hard Rock Stadium. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a WTA 1000 event on the WTA calendar, and annually hosts the world’s best players, with recent champions including the top players in each tour’s rankings – Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. In 2025, the tournament attracted more than 400,000 spectators over its 15 days at Hard Rock Stadium. Widely regarded as the most glamorous stop on the ATP and WTA calendars, the Miami Open is defined by the city’s vibrant culture, nightlife, five-star dining and hospitality, iconic beaches, and celebrity appeal, along with its close proximity to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

About Itaú Unibanco

The largest bank in Latin America, Itaú Unibanco operates in 18 countries and serves more than 70 million customers, including individuals and companies across a wide range of segments. With the purpose of strengthening financial well-being, the bank supports customers at different stages of life by offering solutions tailored to their needs, as well as innovation and information that encourage more conscious decision-making and a healthier relationship with money.

In sports, Itaú has maintained a consistent presence in tennis for 50 years, supporting the development of the sport in Brazil and worldwide across multiple fronts — from talent development to the sponsorship of major international events — as part of its strategy to strengthen customer relationships, build brand relevance, and broaden access to sport.

About MARI 

MARI is a global events and experiences company with a portfolio of some of the world’s most influential live properties across sport, art, lifestyle, and entertainment. From international tennis tournaments such as the Mutua Madrid Open and the Miami Open presented by Itaú to Frieze, a leading voice in contemporary art, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, TodayTix Group’s leadership in digital ticketing, and Barrett-Jackson’s leading collector car auctions, MARI’s portfolio reflects a shared ambition: to deliver live experiences that bring people together, inspire audiences and shape culture worldwide.

About Hard Rock Stadium

Hard Rock Stadium is a global entertainment destination and curator of world-class events. The best-in-class venue is home to the Miami Dolphins, University of Miami Hurricanes football team, the Capital One Orange Bowl, Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, Miami Open presented by Itaú, major concerts, the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game and FIFA World Cup 2026™. Due to its overall sustainability efforts, the multifunctional venue holds Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation rating. For more information, visit hardrockstadium.com.