Karolina Muchová and Jakub Mensík, the Czech partnership, triumphed over Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli with a 6‑3, 1‑6, [10‑6] scoreline to clinch the US Open mixed‑doubles title and the accompanying $1 million prize on Wednesday evening. Their victory was the culmination of a dramatic run that saw the duo overcome several setbacks and display remarkable resilience throughout the tournament. In the semi‑finals, Muchová and Mensík found themselves trailing 3‑0 and later 8‑5 against Russia’s Mirra Andreeva and Russia’s Andrey Rublev.
Despite the daunting deficit, the Czech pair fought back, saving two match points and eventually prevailing 5‑4 (8‑6), 3‑5 [11‑9] in a nail‑biting encounter that secured their place in the final. Their tenacity was evident as they turned the tide against a pair that had been in strong form. The champions entered the final wearing coordinated pink‑top, maroon‑bottom uniforms, a visual cue that they later joked helped them win. Muchová, who had suffered a heartbreaking three‑set loss to Linda Nosková in the Wimbledon women’s final just weeks earlier, laughed, "The matching outfit made the difference for us.
No, really, I wasn’t expecting to be standing here. Thanks, Jakub, for carrying me through this event." She continued, "I wasn’t really expecting to be standing here tonight. We came out just to have fun and enjoy these mixed doubles and now we are standing here. So we did something right." She added, "I think this is a really good start to the US Open for all of us," underscoring the confidence the win gave the young Czech team.
The final began with a rapid start on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Mensík, whose powerful serve was a key weapon throughout the competition, delivered an ace on set point that gave the Czechs the opening set in under thirty minutes.
Bencic responded in the second set, breaking serve with a crisp return winner to take a 3‑1 lead. She later equalised the match when her forehand clipped the net cord and rolled past Muchová, showcasing her aggressive baseline play. When the contest moved to a decisive 10‑point match tie‑break, Mensík’s big serve and incisive net play tipped the balance. He opened an 8‑4 lead with a firm volley, and Muchová followed with her best serve of the night, pushing the Czechs to championship points.
The climax came when Mensík fired a 131‑mph ace, leapt in celebration and secured the first Grand Slam trophy of the season for the pair. Beyond the final, Muchová and Mensík’s path to the title was littered with notable victories. In the opening round they defeated the French‑Cuban duo Kristina Mladenovic and Marcelo Arévalo, while in the quarter‑finals they overcame the American pair Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul.
Their semi‑final win over Andreeva and Rublev was perhaps the most dramatic, as they rallied from the brink of defeat. Bencic and Cobolli, the runners‑up, had also enjoyed an impressive run. They eliminated the husband‑wife team of Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina in a tight 4‑5 (7‑9), 4‑1 [10‑5] match to reach the final.
Earlier, the Swiss‑Italian pair had stunned the tournament by ousting legends Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter‑finals, a testament to their own high level of play. For Bencic, the final represented her first appearance in a senior‑level Grand Slam final. Reflecting on the match, she said, "I think we just tried to play more brave. We just really tried to enjoy and believe," highlighting the mental shift that helped her team push deep into the event.
The 2024 mixed doubles draw featured 16 star‑studded teams and debuted the second year of a revamped format designed to attract larger audiences during the week preceding the singles main draw. The new structure shortened sets to four games, eliminated advertisements, and used 10‑point tie‑breaks to decide third sets, creating a fast‑paced, spectator‑friendly experience.
The US Open, broadcast live on Sky Sports from August 30, offered fans multiple ways to follow the action, including contract‑free streaming on NOW and the Sky Sports app. In addition to the mixed doubles drama, the tournament also showcased other marquee events such as the Laver Cup, scheduled to take place at The O2 in London from 25‑27 September, further underscoring the global appeal of tennis during the summer season. Overall, the Czech duo’s victory not only earned them a substantial monetary prize but also cemented their status as emerging forces in mixed doubles. Their blend of powerful serving, agile net play, and unflappable composure under pressure serves as a blueprint for future partnerships aiming to succeed on tennis’s biggest stages.