WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Eight young American tennis players, led by Hugo Armando, were given wild-card entries Wednesday to the U.S. Open.

Armando recently reached the quarterfinals for the first time in his ATP career, and beat Russia's Yevgeni Kafelnikov. That also helped him reach the top 100 in the ATP rankings.

The 23-year-old Armando, of Bradenton, Fla., is the oldest of the group of mostly 20-year-olds that includes: James Blake, Fairfield, Conn.; Alex Bogomolov, Miami; Bob Bryan, Camarillo, Calif.; Taylor Dent, Newport Beach, Calif.; Mardy Fish, Vero Beach, Fla.; Rob Ginepri, Marietta, Fla.; and Levar Harper-Griffith, Sarasota, Fla.

The Open, the season's last Grand Slam tournament, begins Aug. 27 at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, N.Y.