NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time in more than three years — and for the first time since her doping ban — former top-20 tennis player Varvara Lepchenko competed in a Grand Slam tournament and made it to the second round at the U.S. Open when her opponent retired due to illness on Tuesday.
Lepchenko is a 38-year-old American currently ranked 199th in the world who earned a spot in the women’s singles at Flushing Meadows last week by winning three matches in the qualifying tournament. She had not competed in the main draw of a major since the 2021 French Open. A few months later, Lepchenko tested positive for a banned stimulant, resulting in a provisional four-year suspension that was later reduced to 21 months.
“I’m enjoying my second life on tour. Or maybe my last life on tour,” she said with a laugh on Tuesday night after Brenda Fruhvirtova retired from her match in the first set. “I was a little nervous to be back. But it just feels great.”
Lepchenko appealed her four-year sentence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, saying she found capsules in a travel bag that were proven to contain the substance she had tested positive for – an ingredient that was not listed on the bottle label. The reduced sentence expires in May 2023.
“For me (the suspension) was a really dark moment,” she said in an interview on Tuesday. “I felt like I was in prison.”
This was Lepchenko’s second doping case, but it was treated like her first because she was not found guilty in the previous case. In 2016, she tested positive for the heart drug Meldonium, which led to Maria Sharapova’s doping ban.
When Lepchenko returned to competition a year ago, she said: “I started from scratch. No ranking points. No placement. Many people didn’t believe I could come back. It was all up to me. No one outside believed in me. But I didn’t care what others said.”
Lepchenko was born in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan and later moved to Florida with her father and sister. She was granted political asylum, settled in Pennsylvania in 2003, and became a U.S. citizen in 2011. She represented the United States at the Olympic Games and at the Billie Jean King Cup.
Her highest ranking of her career so far was 19th place in 2012, when she reached the fourth round of a major tournament for the first time at the French Open, where she defeated the 2010 winner Francesca Schiavone. Nine years ago, Lepchenko reached the fourth round at the US Open.
By reaching the second round, she is guaranteed a paycheck of at least $140,000. If she beats Anastasia Potapova on Thursday, that would rise to $215,000. Potapova knocked out 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez in the first round.
“I don’t want to think only about points and money. I want to fulfill my soul. This is my passion. This is my childhood dream – what has driven me since I was six years old,” said Lepchenko. “This feeling comes first and everything else is a huge bonus.”
Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. You can find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich
AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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