New York, United States, 15 August 2013 | tennis.com.au

Ash Barty has been awarded a wildcard for the upcoming US Open, marking the first time she will contest the main draw at the year’s final Grand Slam event.

The announcement shows recognition for the excellent results the 17-year-old has achieved in 2013; she won her first match at a major tournament at Roland Garros to reach the second round, and enjoyed a winning live rubber debut for Australia in Fed Cup against Switzerland.

The Queenslander also reached the quarterfinals of a WTA event for the first time in Kuala Lumpur in February, and with Casey Dellacqua, reached the doubles finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and won the WTA title in Birmingham.

Barty was awarded the wildcard through the United States Tennis Association’s reciprocal arrangement with Tennis Australia.

This sees one Australian male and one Australian female player handed a wildcard into the US Open main draw, and one American man and one American woman granted entry via wildcard into the main draw at the Australian Open.

“It’s just awesome really. I get another opportunity to play in a Grand Slam main draw. This will be my first time playing the main draw at the US Open so it’s pretty exciting. I love New York and I love the States so it’s going to be really good to get over there and play some matches,” Barty said.

“I was fortunate enough to get the wildcard from Tennis Australia. It’s unbelievable, again, to be playing another main draw and hopefully I’ll be able to take my opportunity.”

Other players who received main draw wildcards were Americans Vania King, Nicole Gibbs, Shelby Rogers, Alison Riske, Maria Sanchez and Sachia Vickery, and Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier.

The US Open begins on Monday 26 August at Flushing Meadows in New York.