The high‑profile duo of Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz captured the imagination of the US Open crowd by advancing to the mixed‑doubles quarter‑finals, only to be stopped by the tournament’s fourth‑seeded team of Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli. Their partnership was a headline‑making story for several reasons.
Williams, who has amassed 23 Grand Slam singles crowns over a career that spans more than two decades, made a surprising return to competitive tennis in June at the age of 44. After a long hiatus, she notched her first professional victory since 2022 when she and Alcaraz overcame the British pair of Lloyd Glasspool and Erin Routliffe in the opening round. For Alcaraz, the match marked his own comeback after a wrist injury forced the reigning men’s singles champion out of competition from April onward. The 22‑year‑old Spaniard, who was born five years after Williams captured the mixed‑doubles title at Flushing Meadows in 1998, was eager to test his form alongside a legend of the sport.
The first‑round encounter began slowly for the American‑Spanish team, but they quickly found rhythm and pulled away with a 5‑3, 4‑1 lead, much to the delight of the enthusiastic spectators inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Williams, visibly moved by the experience, told reporters, "I never expected to be back on this court.
I never thought this would happen." The sentiment underscored how special the moment felt for a player who has long been regarded as the queen of tennis. Their opponent, Alcaraz, was equally enthusiastic, noting that sharing the court with Williams was a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity that blended the past and present of the sport. The excitement, however, proved short‑lived. With the quarter‑final match scheduled almost immediately after their first‑round win, fatigue set in.
Bencic and Cobolli, who had been praised before the match as "the queen of tennis and the king of now," capitalized on the tiredness of their opponents and secured a 5‑4, 4‑1 victory, ending the run of the Williams‑Alcaraz partnership. The loss left fans wondering whether Williams might still appear in another event at the tournament, perhaps joining her older sister Venus in the women’s doubles draw. She has already ruled out a repeat of her singles appearance at Wimbledon, focusing instead on mixed doubles and possibly future doubles collaborations. The mixed‑doubles event this year continued to generate buzz beyond the Williams‑Alcaraz storyline.
Top‑seeded Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka, both multiple‑time Grand Slam champions, suffered an early exit after losing 1‑4, 4‑2, 10‑2 to Britain’s Henry Patten and Czech star Katerina Siniakova. Djokovic, a 24‑time Grand Slam singles winner, and Sabalenka, a four‑time major champion, had taken the first set before Patten and Siniakova rallied to claim the second and dominate the decisive match‑tiebreak.
Siniakova sealed the upset with a decisive ace on match point, ending the hopes of the high‑profile pair. Patten reflected on the volatile nature of the format, saying, "It wasn’t looking very good for a while; in this format we play one bad game and all of a sudden the first set’s gone.
We knew the same could happen in the second, and we played an amazing tiebreak. Kat acing Novak on match point was great." Their comments highlighted the fast‑paced, high‑stakes environment that the mixed‑doubles competition has adopted.
The tournament’s organizers have been tweaking the mixed‑doubles format since last year, aiming to attract more top singles players by shortening the draw and giving the event a standalone slot in the calendar. The changes appear to have paid off commercially, with sell‑out crowds and a flood of big‑name participants despite criticism from some doubles specialists who argue that the new structure marginalizes established pairings. In the inaugural year of the revamped format, Italian duo Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori successfully defended their title by beating Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud in the previous final, though they suffered an early first‑round defeat this year. Other notable storylines emerged as well.
Rising stars Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev upset the defending champions with a 1‑4, 4‑1, 11‑9 win in the opening round, then secured a semi‑final berth by defeating Diana Shnaider and Casper Ruud 4‑1, 4‑5, 10‑5. Their next challenge will be against the Czech pair of Karolína Muchova and Jakub Mensik in one of Wednesday’s semi‑finals. Meanwhile, Bencic and Cobolli will meet the husband‑and‑wife team of Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina, who advanced after edging Patten and Siniakova in the quarter‑finals. The final two matches on Wednesday night will revert to the traditional best‑of‑three sets format, with each set played to six games rather than the shortened scoring used earlier in the tournament.
Fans can follow the action live on Sky Sports, which will also broadcast the US Open singles draws starting August 30. For those who prefer streaming, the NOW platform and the Sky Sports app offer contract‑free access to tennis coverage. Overall, the mixed‑doubles competition at this year’s US Open has provided a compelling mix of nostalgia, surprise upsets, and fresh talent. Serena Williams’ brief but memorable return to the court, paired with Carlos Alcaraz’s eagerness to learn from a legend, captured the imagination of tennis enthusiasts worldwide.
While their run ended earlier than hoped, the excitement they generated, along with the dramatic performances of other teams, underscored the growing appeal of mixed doubles as a showcase for both established champions and emerging players. As the tournament moves forward, spectators can look forward to more thrilling matches, unexpected pairings, and the continued evolution of a format that is quickly becoming a highlight of the Grand Slam calendar.