CoCo Vandeweghe wishes Maria Sharapova's US Open wild card went to someone else -- someone else from the United States.
Vandeweghe said she "can't say I agree'' with the United States Tennis Association's decision to grant a wild card to Sharapova, the former US Open champion who knocked off No. 2 Simona Halep on Monday night and advanced to the third round on Wednesday afternoon.
Vandeweghe, the No. 20 seed who on Wednesday beat fellow American Alison Riske 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, said she knows from previously receiving a wild card into the tournament that it can be a huge benefit to a young player or one returning from injury.
"Selfishly, I would have wished it was an American,'' Vandeweghe said.
Hungary's Timea Babos, who lost to Sharapova, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday, agreed with Vandeweghe's central point, saying it's "a little bit unfair for the other players" that the five-time Grand Slam champion is in the field.
Sharapova needed a wild card because her ranking had fallen too low after she served a doping suspension. The USTA said when it granted the wild card that its past practice was to award wild cards to former US Open champions who needed them.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.