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NEW YORK — Former top-20 tennis player Varvara Lepchenko has played in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in more than three years — and for the first time since she served a doping ban. The 38-year-old American made it to the second round at the U.S. Open when her opponent stopped playing because of illness on Tuesday. Lepchenko is currently ranked 199th and earned a spot in the women's singles bracket at Flushing Meadows by winning three matches in the qualifying event. She hadn't participated in the main draw at a major since the 2021 French Open. A couple of months later, Lepchenko tested positive for a banned stimulant.
