American teenager Thea Frodin, who once served as a young Serena Williams' body double in the film King Richard, is set to make her US Open singles main-draw debut. The 17-year-old, ranked 580th in the world, earned her place through a wildcard after winning the USTA Girls' 18s National Championships, following the same route Venus Williams once took, and will face world number two Elena Rybakina in the first round.

Frodin spent six months on set aged 12 working alongside Will Smith, who played Richard Williams, and became so accustomed to imitating Serena's playing style that her coaches later had to help her rediscover her own technique. Her breakthrough year has also included a semi-final run at the Australian Open girls' singles, a Wimbledon girls' doubles final, and a WTA Tour qualifying debut in Miami, where she took a top-100 player to three sets. She has never met Serena or Venus Williams but hopes this US Open, in which both sisters are playing doubles, might offer the chance.