Tennis Qualifier's Bizarre Second Chance at US Open

Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, has withdrawn from the current tournament due to an injury, just before his scheduled first-round match. This marks his third missed appearance in the last four years. Cilic's recent North American hard court performances did not suggest a strong result, with early exits in Montreal and Cincinnati.

Cilic's spot in the draw has been given to Otto Virtanen. The Finnish player had originally withdrawn from the third round of qualifying against Grigor Dimitrov due to a back injury, resulting in a walkover. Despite this, Virtanen was awarded the lucky loser spot when Cilic withdrew.

This eligibility for Virtanen stems from a general interpretation of the rules. A player only needs to have been eliminated in the final round of qualifying to be considered, and a walkover is officially counted as a defeat. This loophole allows players to become lucky losers even without finishing their qualifying matches, as seen with Bernard Tomic earlier this year.

The lucky loser system at Grand Slams involves a random draw of the highest-ranked eligible qualifiers, a change implemented after a 2005 Wimbledon incident. This random draw was intended to prevent players from incentivizing withdrawals, but it did not add a requirement to play the final qualifying round.