Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori celebrate victory in the 2025 US Open mixed doubles final. They made the most of their title defense, knocking off tennis luminaries Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud on the way to repeating. The final took place at New York City’s legendary Arthur Ashe Stadium. The dynamic duo stamped their claim of victory with a thrilling tiebreaker score of 6-3, 5-7, 10-6. With this victory, they’ve taken their third Grand Slam mixed doubles title. They won the French Open back in 2025.
This year’s US Open featured a new format of mixed doubles. Unveiled together with the redesigned club crest, it’s intended to help Thorns FC foster a more dynamic atmosphere for supporters. With 16 pairs of competitors, the competition took place in a bracket-style elimination format with matches being played to four games and a max of three sets. The final was played under regular scoring, where each of the first two sets was allowed to go to six games. Errani and Vavassori were the lone pair of doubles specialists in the field, making their remarkable accomplishment even more noteworthy.
Despite their prior criticism of the new format—describing it as a “pseudo-exhibition” and a “profound injustice”—Errani and Vavassori showcased their exceptional skills on the court. Their win not only secured them the $1,000,000 prize, but shined a new light on their prowess at mixed doubles tennis.
The game drew unprecedented interest. It drew a glittering guest list, such as acclaimed designer Anna Wintour and many other luminaries from arts, business, fashion, government, science, and academia. The presence of major stars such as Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu, Jessica Pegula, and Jack Draper added to the excitement of the event.
In an insightful observation regarding the match-up between singles and doubles players, one participant noted, “Maybe you can put the narrative about singles against doubles. Today was two doubles players at the top of the game and two singles players at the top of the game. It was a good matchup for the crowd.”
The new format certainly did not disappoint on bringing in bigger audiences. On social media, plenty of fans excitedly discussed the fun, electric vibe that mixed doubles brings. Jessica Pegula remarked on the electrifying nature of the event, stating, “Arguably more crazy almost than a singles match … super loud,” while emphasizing that spectators appreciate seeing athletes compete fiercely.
Draper echoed this sentiment, highlighting the passion of New York audiences: “People especially in New York, they love getting into it. They love just watching good points and watching people competing hard and trying to win.”
Errani acknowledged the importance of strategy in doubles play, stating, “I think in doubles we showed it’s very important to know how to play doubles.”
Looking ahead, Vavassori suggested that expanding the mixed doubles event to 32 teams could include more specialists in doubles play. This amendment would be a huge step towards increasing competition and giving fans even more exciting games to watch on the pitch.
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