Karolina Muchová and Jakub Mensík, the Czech partnership, clinched the US Open mixed‑doubles title on Wednesday night, earning a $1 million prize after overcoming Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6‑3, 1‑6, [10‑6] in the championship match. The road to the final was anything but easy for the Czechs.
In the semifinals they faced a daunting duo of Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev. After falling behind 3‑0 and later 8‑5, Muchová and Mensík rallied spectacularly, saving two match points and eventually prevailing 5‑4 (8‑6), 3‑5 [11‑9] to book their place in the title showdown. Dressed in coordinated pink‑top, maroon‑bottom outfits, the all‑Czech team looked stylish as well as formidable. When the match progressed to a decisive match‑tie‑break, they held their nerve and sealed the championship.
"The matching outfit made the difference for us," Muchová laughed, recalling her recent disappointment after a three‑set loss to Linda Nosková in the Wimbledon final. "No, really, I didn’t expect to be standing here.
Thanks, Jakub, for carrying me through this event." She added, "I wasn’t really expecting to be standing here tonight. We came out just to have fun and enjoy mixed doubles, and now we are standing here. So we did something right." "I think this is a really good start to the US Open for all of us," she continued, emphasizing the confidence the victory brings to their season. The final began with a blistering pace on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Mensík, whose serve is among the hardest on tour, opened the first set with an ace on set point, wrapping up the opening set in under thirty minutes. Bencic responded in the second set, breaking Muchová’s serve for a 3‑1 lead. The Swiss star later equalised the set when her forehand clipped the net cord and rolled past Muchová, showcasing her aggressive baseline game. When the contest moved to a 10‑point match‑tie‑break, Mensík’s powerful serve and incisive net play gave the Czechs the edge.
He delivered a firm volley to push the lead to 8‑4, after which Muchová unleashed her best serve of the day, earning championship points. Mensík capped the triumph with a 131‑mph ace, leaping in celebration as the first Grand Slam trophy of the season was hoisted.
Beyond the semifinal victory over Andreeva and Rublev, Muchová and Mensík dispatched several notable pairs. In the opening round they beat Kristina Mladenovic and Marcelo Arévalo, while the quarter‑final saw them overcome Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul. Their opponents in the final, Bencic and Cobolli, had themselves earned a dramatic win over the husband‑and‑wife team of Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina, prevailing 4‑5 (7‑9), 4‑1 [10‑5] to reach the championship match.
Bencic, a former Olympic champion, was playing her first senior‑level Grand Slam final. She reflected on the match, saying, "I think we just tried to play more brave.
We just really tried to enjoy and believe." Both she and Cobolli had impressed earlier, having eliminated legends Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter‑finals. The 2024 mixed‑doubles draw featured 16 star‑studded teams and debuted in its second year of a revamped format that integrates top singles players to boost spectator interest during the week preceding the main singles draws.
The tournament introduced several experimental rules: sets were contested to only four games, there were no advertisements between games, and any deciding third set was replaced by a 10‑point tie‑break. The US Open’s mixed‑doubles competition, now broadcast live on Sky Sports from August 30, has also been made available contract‑free via the NOW streaming service and the Sky Sports app, providing fans multiple ways to follow the action. Additionally, tennis enthusiasts can catch the upcoming Laver Cup at The O2 in London from September 25‑27, also shown on Sky Sports.
Overall, the Czech duo’s victory not only adds a substantial financial reward to their resumes but also signals a promising start to the US Open for both players. Their ability to recover from deficits, save match points, and execute under pressure suggests they could be contenders in future mixed‑doubles events and possibly in their respective singles careers. The triumph also highlights the growing popularity and competitiveness of mixed doubles, a format that continues to attract top talent and deliver thrilling, fast‑paced tennis for audiences worldwide.