ORLANDO, Fla. – Auburn senior DJ Bennett and junior Ava Esposito won the USTA American Collegiate Wildcard Playoff on Thursday evening at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. With the victory, the Tiger duo receives a wildcard bid into the women’s doubles main draw at the 2026 U.S. Open.
“Honestly, I’m at a loss for words,” Bennett said. “I’m just really proud of myself and proud of Ava for pulling it out. Losing the first set and being down 2-0, it’s not easy to come back from that, and I think it just shows how hard we work. We were taking care of what we could take care of and let our tennis do the talking.”
“I’m just really proud of us,” Esposito said. “It’s really rewarding with all of the work we’ve put in, and I’m lucky to be able to play with DJ and end the night on a good note. Just proud overall and can’t wait to play in New York.”
𝓝𝓮𝔀 𝓨𝓸𝓻𝓴 𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 🗽
— Auburn Women's Tennis (@AuburnWTennis) June 19, 2026
DJ Bennett and Ava Esposito have won the @usta American Collegiate Wildcard Playoffs and have earned a spot in the main draw at the @usopen! 🎟️#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/ASIDVETygP
Bennett and Esposito began their run Wednesday evening against Jessica Bernales and Lily Jones of Michigan in a match that was delayed an hour due to rain. The Auburn pair took the early advantage, claiming the first set 6-3, including a break in the final game. Bernales and Jones responded by taking three straight games to open the second set before ultimately winning the set to force a third.
With the final set tied at 2-2, the Michigan pair outlasted four deuce points to earn a break and later built a 4-2 lead. The Auburn duo answered by holding serve in a game that featured two deuce points, then broke to 30 to tie the set at 4-4. With the final-set tiebreaker tied at 5-5, Bennett and Esposito won five consecutive points to secure the match and advance to the final.
In Thursday’s final, Reese Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton of North Carolina took the opening set 6-4. The Auburn duo responded by winning three consecutive games to close out the second set 6-3. The teams traded games throughout the final set until Bennett and Esposito earned a crucial break for a 6-5 lead, then held to love to claim a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 comeback victory.
Bennett and Esposito will become the first Auburn women’s tennis players to appear in a Grand Slam event at the U.S. Open. The women’s doubles main draw is scheduled for Sept. 3-11 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.
During the 2025-26 season, Bennett and Esposito became the highest-ranked doubles team in program history on April 14 when they reached No. 2 in the nation. The pair was a regular at the top of the Auburn doubles lineup and went 17-4 in dual matches with eight ranked victories and two wins over top-10 opponents. The Auburn duo finished the season ranked No. 3 nationally and earned ITA Doubles All-America honors.
Auburn results:
DJ Bennett/Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Jessica Bernales/Lily Jones (MICH) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (5)
DJ Bennett/Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Reese Brantmeier/Alanis Hamilton (UNC) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5