Former world number one Kim Clijsters of Belgium has been granted a wild-card entry for the upcoming U.S. Open tennis tournament, organizers said in New York on Thursday.

The 26-year-old 2005 U.S. Open winner reached the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open last week in her first tournament back after a two-year absence from the tour.

Among others receiving wild cards was Kristina Mladenovic of France, the 16-year-old who is currently the number one ranked junior.

The U.S. Open begins in New York's Flushing Meadows on August 31.

(Xinhua News Agency August 21, 2009)