Serena Williams to team with Alcaraz for US Open mixed doubles
Serena Williams is coming back to the Big Apple. The US Open announced Saturday that the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion will team up with Carlos Alcaraz for its mixed doubles tournament, which begins Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Pairing with Alcaraz marks Williams' competitive return to the US Open, at which she last played in 2022. The six-time US Open singles champion won the US Open mixed doubles title in 1998 with Max Mirnyi. She and her sister Venus also own two career US Open women's doubles titles together.
They join a field of star-studded teams competing in the second edition of the US Open's innovative retooling of mixed doubles, including Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, returning finalists Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, and defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Also in the field are the all-American pair of Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, the married Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, and Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
This year's tournament begins with a qualifying competition on Monday, Aug. 24, where eight teams will compete for the final two main-draw spots. The first round and quarterfinals will be played on Tuesday, Aug. 25, and the semifinals and final will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Qualifying through the semifinals will be played as best-of-three-set matches with sets to four games; no-ad scoring (tiebreak at 4-4); and a 10-point tie-break in lieu of third set. The championship match is a more traditional best of three sets, with no-ad scoring and a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of third set.
MAIN DRAW
DIRECT ENTRANTS
Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic
Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz
Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud
Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli
Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien
Diana Shnaider and TBA
WILD CARDS
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori
Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime
Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe
Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev
Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils
Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz
Jakub Mensik and Karolina Muchova
Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul
QUALIFIERS (2)
QUALIFYING
DIRECT ENTRANTS*
Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten
Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliövaara
Luisa Stefani and Neal Skupski
Aleksandra Krunic and Mate Pavic
Kristina Mladenovic and Marcelo Arevalo
Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool
WILD CARDS
Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev
Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison
