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mixed doubles

Team “AlcaRena” Falls in the Quarterfinals of the US Open Mixed Doubles

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Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams high five during a mixed doubles quarterfinal match during Fan Week as part of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 in Flushing, NY. (Photo by Darren Carroll/USTA)

(August 25, 2026) FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli spoiled the “Team AlcaRena” party at the US Open Tuesday, when they knocked out Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams 5-4(4), 4-1 to advance to the semifinals.

“To play Carlos and Serena, it is a great honor,” Bencic said. “We felt their aura for sure. It was an honor to play.”

“Playing Serena and Carlos inside Arthur Ashe Stadium is not easy,” Cobolli shared. “I was tired before the match, and I am tired now.”

Cobolli played with a lot of focus and determination. “Everybody says the same thing,” he told the media in his news conference.

“Yeah, I mean, for me is still Grand Slam, so for me is not just an exhibition. I try to enjoy every moment that I spend on court, but still with focus. I think the match deserve it. Also because I play with two legends.

“If you stop to be focus on court, you lose. I didn’t want to lose today.”

On the court, Cobolli called his opponents “the queen of tennis and the king of now.”

Alcaraz, who is back in action for the first time since suffering a right wrist injury in April, spoke about his nervousness but he enjoyed competing again.

“Everyone could see how nervous I was,” the Spaniard shared earlier in the day, following his team’s win over Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool.

“I never expected to be back on this court,” Williams, 44, said after her first match at Flushing Meadows in four years. “I never thought this would happen.”

Now the question is whether she will seek an encore performance in women’s doubles alongside older sister Venus. They won the U.S. Open twice among their 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together.

Cobolli said Williams tried to trash-talk him before the match.

“She said that she talk Italian better than me,” he said.  

“It was surreal to play against Carlos,” Bencic said. “Sometimes I was just standing at the volley or the return, and I was like, ‘How did I end up on this court?’ I don’t really know. Just a huge honor. Obviously you can feel both of their auras.”

“For me the mixed doubles has to be like this, fast and with this great atmosphere that we have on these two days. So for me is the perfect thing to start the tournament,” added Cobolli.

The fourth seed will take on the married couple of Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in the semifinals.

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Fans Break Record at 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship with Two-Day Sellout drawing 78,00 Fans to the Grounds

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A general view during a mixed doubles semifinal match at the 2025 US Open on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 in Flushing, NY. (Mike Lawrence/USTA)

FANS BREAK RECORDS AT 2025 US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP, DRIVING A TWO-DAY COMPETITION SELLOUT AND 78,000 TO THE GROUNDS

  • 78,000 Fans Onsite During the Two-Day Competition
  • Two-Day Sell Out in Arthur Ashe Stadium and More Than 20,000 Fans Watched the Competition in Louis Armstrong for Free
  • Unprecedented Reach for Mixed Doubles With 17 Networks Airing the Competition in Over 170 Countries and Territories
  • Every Match Aired on ESPN Linear and Digital Platforms Delivering 13 Hours of Coverage
  • More than Two Million Fans Visited US Open Digital Properties (Mobile App, Website) and 12.8 Million Viewed US Open YouTube – Setting a New Single Day Record

FLUSHING, N.Y., August 21, 2025 – Fans broke records at the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship presented by Vital Proteins, drawing unprecedented crowds for a mixed doubles competition. The reimagined event drew 78,000 fans to the grounds over August 19 and 20, drove a two-day sellout in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and more than 20,000 fans scanned their Fan Access Pass to watch the matches for free in Louis Armstrong Stadium on Tuesday.


“We’ve always believed that mixed doubles is undervalued in our sport and has the potential to engage and captivate many more fans,” said US Open Tournament Director Stacey Allaster. “This year, we made bold changes in scheduling, format and player field to showcase the uniqueness of the top men and women in the world competing on the largest tennis stage in the world and fans and players loved it. It was very exciting to watch defending US Open mixed doubles champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani compete and defend their title and take home the $1 million champions’ prize this year in front of sold-out crowds. The energy, excitement and engagement we witnessed are exactly what this dynamic and important Grand Slam championship deserves.”


The two-day championship brought mixed doubles competition to more fans than ever before, airing across 17 networks in over 170 countries and territories. This included domestic coverage on ESPN channels, along with major international broadcasters such as Eurosport (Continental Europe), Sky (UK & Ireland), WOWOW (Japan), Nine (Australia), SuperTennis (Italy), Telefonica (Spain) and JioStar (India). Every mixed doubles match aired on ESPN linear and digital properties, delivering 13 hours of coverage across ESPN2 and ESPNews, including primetime coverage Wednesday night on ESPN2.


Fans were drawn to US Open digital properties to follow the action, with the US Open mobile app and website experiencing 2.2 million visits, a 115-percent increase over 2024, driving more than 11.6 million page views (up 94% over 2024). On average, fans who visited US Open Digital Platforms during the Mixed Doubles Championship spent over seven minutes on the platforms — 30 percent longer than the industry benchmark.


US Open social media buzzed during the Mixed Doubles Championship with YouTube alone driving 12.8 million organic views on Wednesday, setting a new one-day record for the channel.


In addition to stars on the court, the Mixed Doubles Championship competition also drew more than 30 celebrity special guests to attend — a who’s who of actors, artists, athletes, comedians and fashion icons, including Anna Wintour, Chelsea Handler, Lin-Manuel Miranda and more.
 

Player Reactions to the Two Days of the Reimagined Event
 

“As I said, the initiative is very good. To see a stadium fully packed for mixed doubles is something that we didn’t expect honestly. We have to give credit to the tournament to create something that was really worth it.” – 2025 US Open mixed doubles champion Andrea Vavassori
 

Commenting on playing in the first round of the Mixed Doubles Championship competition: “You have almost a full Arthur Ashe today for the whole day. What I saw out there was mostly young kids getting to see top players play in a very different setting where men and women play together, the top players team up together. I think that’s a really cool thing for kids to see and for us to do something else.” – Casper Ruud
 

“Completely sold out tonight, which is so cool to see for a semifinals in the doubles. Ultimately we want to bring in these crowds. I really think the format of this and what happened this week really said a lot. We had a full atmosphere out here. What a fun environment to play in. … I think a lot of the people watching at home, the doubles fanatics and advocates, love seeing this type of format. Yeah, it’s keeping things interesting.” – Danielle Collins
 

“I think the format, honestly it was really fun. I think maybe we would have been there in singles, but seeing us compete in a different way was definitely exciting. In New York people love these few weeks. It’s the qualifying week now, now for the mixed being earlier… Always got tons of people. Yeah, it was packed. It was fun. Love competing out there. I feel like the crowd feeds off of that.” – Jessica Pegula

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Defending Champions Errani-Vavassori Coming in as a Wild Card Wins Mixed Doubles Title at US Open

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Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani react during a mixed doubles semifinal match at the 2025 US Open on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 in Flushing, NY. (Darren Carroll/USTA)

(August 20, 2025) FLUSHING, NY – A re-imagined Mixed Doubles event focusing on top singles players resulted in the defending champions, Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, winning the title again by beating No. 3 seeds Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 in the final on Wednesday night.

“We are doing something in these two years [together] that’s amazing,” Vavassori said during the trophy presentation. “I have to say thank you (Errani) for your energy on the court. It’s like family to play with you.”


The Italians jumped out to a 6-3, 5-3 lead, but Vavassori lost his serve trying to close out the match. Swiatek and Ruud went on to win the second set 7-5.

The Italians rebounded by winning the champions’ tiebreak 10-6 to complete the victory.

Eight teams in the 16-team field qualified by their players’ combined singles rankings, with the remaining teams given wild cards. Errani didn’t think the Italians were going to get one and was vocal about the omission of doubles players.

“I think this one is also for them,” Errani said about her fellow doubles players who were left out of the competition.

“I think it was important for us to play,” Vavassori said. “Like, I have to say the initiative was also important because it was really a statement that doubles can become something better. The stadium was packed. The people were enjoying it. If something doesn’t work — like, we showed today that it’s working. Like, the people were going crazy.”

“The thing about the pressure for sure, it’s always like that,” said Vavassori. “We were the team that could lose everything. If we lose against Fritz-Rybakina, would not have been good a spot for doubles. I think everyone was thinking we would have lose against them. So to prove they were wrong, it’s something that was important for us.

“But I think we know our value as a team. We also showed before. I think also playing other finals in Grand Slams with Simone and Sara. I think Sara played so many Grand Slam finals. I think it’s something you grow as a player. You are used to play in these kind of pressure. I think it’s something that build you as a player in these opportunities.”

“I think tonight was amazing,” Vavassori said. “The atmosphere was crazy. The last match was unbelievable also the level. I think so many good points, so many highlights.

“I think these two days will be really important for doubles in the future because we show that doubles player are great players. I think this product can grow in the future. There were so many legends in the past that played doubles.”

“Was so special to win here again the tournament,said the 38-year-old Errani. Was not easy after losing the second set in the final. Andrea help me a lot, giving me a lot of energy, believing in me. I think he did an unbelievable super tiebreak. Was so special.

“I’m too happy.”

The champions received a $1 million check to split along with the first trophy of the 2025 US Open.

More to follow….

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Playing “For All Doubles Players” Errani and Vavassori Reach Semis of Re-invented Mixed Doubles at US Open

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2025 US Open – Mixed Doubles
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 19: The doubles team of Sara Errani of Italy and Andrea Vavassori of Italy celebrate a game win during the mixed doubles first round match against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Taylor Fritz of the United States at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 19, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

(August 19, 2025) FLUSHING, NY – Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani picked up where they left off as last year’s mixed doubles champions, except this year, they came into the US Open as wild cards due to a change in the competition focusing on inviting high-ranking singles players into draw and playing a “Fast Four format” as opposed to regular sets.

Both players were very vocal about the format since they were the only true doubles player in the 16 team draw.

The Italians are now in the semifinals of the mixed doubles with two wins on Tuesday. The firest round they defeated Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz 4-2, 4-2 and they were victorious in their quarterfinal match over Andrey Rublev and Karolina Muchova.

“Our mission was to play this tournament, Vavasorri said to media. “We were not sure during the year.

“Like, for us was important to send a message before the tournament. When we got the wild card, I was grateful to play. At least there were not so many doubles players.

“We are also playing for them. I think it’s important to show also that doubles players are great players. I think our main goal in the future will be to change a little bit the narrative because singles players are amazing on singles, but doubles players are amazing in doubles. If doubles player play against singles, sometimes they play better because they are more organized.

“I think also we had so many legends in the past that played doubles well, like the Bryans here are completely legends. I think we have also maybe a little bit more in the past to see so many great players that play doubles before, now focus more in the future also, like, in the main stages.”

“Tactics in doubles are very important,” he said in the on-court interview. “There are many very strong players here, but we often play together, we also talk off the court, and this is important.

“We also play for all the doubles players who cannot compete at the mixed doubles tournament here. We try to do our best.”

The Italian team will face the last entry into the tournament Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison for a place in the final.

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Full Field and Official Draw — US Open Mixed Doubles Championship

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FLUSHING, N.Y., August 17, 2025 — The US Open today announced the full, 16-team field and the draw for the blockbuster US Open Mixed Doubles Championship presented by Vital Proteins, played August 19-20 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

CLICK TO VIEW THE US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW

The following transactions filled out the final, 16-team field on Sunday: 

  • World No. 1 and defending US Open men’s singles champion Jannik Sinner re-paired with 10-time Grand Slam women’s doubles champion Katerina Siniakova. That team received a Wild Card entry into the field. 
  • Jasmine Paolini withdrew. Her previous partner, Lorenzo Musetti, re-paired with Caty McNally. That team also received a Wild Card entry into the field. 
  • World singles No. 6 and reigning Australian Open women’s singles champion Madison Keys and world No. 14 and two-time US Open men’s singles semifinalist Frances Tiafoe received direct entry based on their combined singles ranking on July 28.
  • World singles No. 11 Andrey Rublev and No. 14 Karolina Muchova also received direct entry based on their combined singles ranking on July 28. 
  • Two-time US Open women’s singles champion Naomi Osaka and former US Open men’s singles semifinalist Gael Monfils also received a Wild Card entry into the field. 

The full 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles field: 

DIRECT ENTRANTS
Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper
Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud
Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz
Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune
Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev
Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev

Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe

Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev

WILD CARDS
Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic
Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz

Katerina Siniakova and Jannik Sinner
Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton
Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori

Naomi Osaka and Gael Monfils

Lorenzo Musetti and Caty McNally

The first and second rounds will be played on Tuesday, August 19, starting at 11 a.m. ET. The semifinals and final will be played on Wednesday, August 20, starting at 7 p.m. ET. 

Tuesday’s first and second rounds will be played in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium. Admission to the Louis Armstrong Stadium matches is accessible via the US Open’s Fan Access Pass. 

Through the semifinals, matches will be best of three sets with short sets to four games, no-ad scoring, tiebreakers at four-all and a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set. The final will be a best-of-three set match to six games, featuring no-ad scoring, with tiebreakers at six-all and a 10-point match tiebreaker in lieu of a third set.

The winning team will receive a $1 million prize. 

The Mixed Doubles Championship will be featured across ESPN properties:

  • Tuesday:
    • 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET on ESPN2
    • 1-5 p.m. ET on ESPNews
    • 11 a.m.-9 p.m. ET on ESPN+
  • Wednesday:
    • 7-10 p.m. ET on ESPN2

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