This year’s US Open mixed doubles competition was no exception, playing host to a surprising first round twist. Last year’s top-seeded pair, Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, fell in the quarterfinals. In their first matches, they took on Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula. Their victory was convincing enough to sweep aside the established acting pair, 4-2, 4-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Retaining champions Sara Errani and Simone Vavassori blazed their way through to the semifinals. They are now poised to defend their title for a third time against Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison.
This year’s tournament saw the competition format change drastically. The 16 competing pairs competed in an exciting, head-to-head, tag-team format. They battled it out in a best-of-four-games sprint to four sets, no-ad scoring. A 10-point third-set match tie break took the place of a normal, full-length third set, creating yet another exciting wrinkle to the event.
Errani and Vavassori put on display why they are the two best doubles specialists in the draw. They cruised through their two matches with some jaw-dropping scores. They began by shocking Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, then pulling the upset over Karolina Muchová and Andrey Rublev. Their success puts them into what’s sure to be a tough semifinal against Kenyon Collins and Evan Harrison.
For the first time, the prize money for the winning pair has exploded to $1 million! That’s an extraordinary jump of $800,000 over 2024. This hefty increase demonstrates the demand for the shorter, more fast-paced mixed doubles format that has captivated fans in the tournament.
Jack Draper was playing for the first time competitively since his second-round exit from Wimbledon last month. He expressed satisfaction with his performance so far, saying, “I don’t know what I was expecting, but I think it’s been pretty good so far, especially after not competing for a while.” In that testimony, he went on to highlight the collaborative spirit that was key to his success.
“I’m happy with the way I’m playing. It’s all about having a good partner as well – that’s true.” – Jack Draper
Draper and Pegula are preparing to face Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud in the semifinals. A win will secure them a place in the final on Wednesday! Świątek and Alcaraz celebrated their recent Cincinnati Open singles titles on the same day. Given this milestone, the excitement surrounding their debut in mixed doubles is palpable.
Even as the tournament continues, you can feel a tangible excitement in the air about this year’s mixed doubles tournament. One anonymous doubles player noted the need to reshape perceptions regarding singles and doubles 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 players play against singles, sometimes they play better because they are more organized.”
In her, Ruud saw someone who shared and respected the tournament’s commitment. More than the intense competition, she literally arrived at her hotel just hours before her first match. Her commitment to making Tournaments work stood out.
“Everyone should show some appreciation to Iga today because she got to her hotel 12 hours ago at 2:30 a.m. and she’s here playing, so thank you so much, Iga.” – Casper Ruud
Leave a Reply