Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams have been handed a wildcard for the upcoming US Open mixed doubles event, after months of speculation surrounding their potential partnership.
On Thursday, the Spaniard confirmed that he would return to professional tennis at the New York Grand Slam after missing four months of the season due to an ongoing wrist injury.
Alcaraz, who is the defending singles champion at the event, has now also been confirmed to be pairing up with tennis legend Williams in the mixed doubles draw.
The blockbuster partnership brings together two of the biggest names in the sport, with Alcaraz having helped dominate the tour for the last three years and Williams widely regarded as one of the greatest players in tennis history.
It also gives fans an early opportunity to see Alcaraz back on court ahead of his US Open singles title defence, although world No 1 Jannik Sinner will be absent after withdrawing from the event due to an ongoing right knee issue.
The American herself returned to professional tennis during the grass-court season after a nearly four-year ‘evolution’ away from the sport.
Despite suffering a knee injury during her singles comeback at Wimbledon, Williams recovered in time to play alongside her sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open, where they fell 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in their opening match.
It was at the US Open in 2022 that Williams indicated she would retire from the sport she once dominated, so the six-time champion will be looking to be as sharp as possible ahead of her return to New York.
Her mixed doubles appearance will therefore provide another competitive opportunity before the singles tournament gets underway, although the format means matches are significantly shorter than traditional Grand Slam contests.
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The event, which takes place from August 24-26, will be the second edition of the revamped category.
Last season, the USTA announced that it would halve the number of pairings from 32 to 16 and move the event to Fan Week, before the singles tournament begins, while offering $1 million to the winners.
The changes were designed to create a more star-studded event by putting some of the biggest names in singles at the heart of the competition, rather than relying primarily on established doubles specialists.
In addition, the format would consist of short sets to four games, with no-ad scoring and a 10-point match tiebreak replacing a deciding third set.
There is a much greater emphasis on singles players, with six teams qualifying directly based on the combined singles rankings of the pairs.
Eight teams, including Alcaraz and Williams, receive wildcards, while the remaining two spots will be decided through a new eight-team qualifying tournament on August 24.
12 months ago, Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani successfully defended their title, edging out Ruud and Swiatek 6-3 5-7 10-6 in the final.
Below are the confirmed names for the US Open mixed doubles 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
Wildcards
- Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori
- Alex 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
- Qualifier
- Qualifier
The post Carlos Alcaraz & Serena Williams confirmed to pair up for US Open mixed doubles appeared first on Tennis365.
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