BOCA RATON, Fla. - Former Lynn University women's tennis standout Léolia Jeanjean has earned a wild card into the main draw of the 2026 US Open, continuing a memorable summer on the professional circuit for one of the most decorated tennis players in Fighting Knight history.
The French Tennis Federation awarded Jeanjean one of its reciprocal wild cards for the US Open, which will be held Aug. 30-Sept. 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
The reciprocal agreement between the French Tennis Federation and United States Tennis Association allows French players to receive wild cards into the US Open while American players receive invitations into the French Open. Jeanjean joins fellow French standout Gaël Monfils as the federation's selections for the 2026 tournament.
Jeanjean enters the US Open ranked No. 119 in the WTA singles rankings with a 20-18 record in 2026.
Her US Open invitation comes on the heels of another milestone this summer at Wimbledon. Jeanjean successfully qualified for the Wimbledon main draw for the first time in her career before earning her first main-draw victory at the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam.
The success adds another chapter to Jeanjean's professional career following a historic collegiate season at Lynn in 2019.
During her lone season in Boca Raton, Jeanjean put together one of the most decorated campaigns in the storied history of Lynn women's tennis. She was named the Sunshine State Conference Female Athlete of the Year, ITA Senior Player of the Year, ITA South Region Senior Player of the Year and SSC Women's Tennis Player of the Year. She also collected ITA Singles and Doubles All-America honors and First Team All-SSC recognition in both singles and doubles.
Playing at the top flights, Jeanjean finished undefeated in both singles and doubles, posting a 21-0 singles record and a program-record 29-0 mark in doubles. She defeated nine nationally ranked singles opponents and dropped just one set all season.
Jeanjean remembers her time in Boca Raton as more than just the individual accolades and undefeated records.
"Tough to say about a favorite memory, but I would say when we won the SSC at IMG, particularly the national final," Jeanjean said. "I really enjoyed my time at Lynn. For me, it was pleasant to practice and felt like home to me the time I was there. The team was amazing, and we had a lot of fun altogether."
Her 29 doubles victories established a Lynn single-season record for total wins and winning percentage, while she became the first player in program history to finish undefeated in doubles with at least 24 victories in a season. Jeanjean finished the year ranked No. 6 nationally in singles and No. 3 in doubles alongside teammate Federica Grib.
When asked what advice she would give current Fighting Knights, Jeanjean emphasized embracing the college experience and relying on teammates.
"The advice would be to really take advantage of what the school provides for us, enjoy the time, work with a smile and use the team energy to compete," Jeanjean said. "I think everyone needs to learn about everybody and be there for each other when times are tough. You need to feel like you can trust your teammates 100 percent."
Jeanjean's breakthrough began at the 2022 French Open, where she received a wild card into the main draw and advanced to the third round at Roland-Garros.
Now, four years later and following a breakthrough appearance at Wimbledon, the former Fighting Knight will return to the one of the biggest stages of the tennis world in New York.
The 2026 US Open main draw begins Sunday, Aug. 30, with Jeanjean's opening-round opponent to be determined.
