Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev take part in the controversial new mixed competition at the US Open. In the end, it is not the top stars of the scene who win, but specialists.
Despite the unusual star lineup in the reformed mixed competition at the US Open, doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori celebrated winning the title. The Italian tennis duo successfully defended their title in the two-day competition at the Grand Slam tournament in New York. In the final, they defeated Polish Wimbledon winner Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud from Norway 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Millions in prize money for winners
Errani and Vavassori are thus the first Grand Slam champions of this US Open and can look forward to a significantly increased prize money of one million US dollars. “It was great to play in front of so many spectators on this court, and I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart for the fantastic atmosphere,” said Vavassori.
Only the final was played with the usual six sets, with the match ultimately decided in a tiebreak. Previously, sets were only played to four. The organizers of the last Grand Slam tournament of the year changed the mixed competition in order to make it more attractive with more stars and generate more revenue.
Zverev out in round one
Top stars who usually focus on singles also took part, including Alexander Zverev. However, the Hamburg native and his Swiss mixed doubles partner Belinda Bencic were knocked out in the first round on Tuesday. Singles stars such as Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, and Daniil Medvedev all lost on the first day.
A total of 16 teams, instead of 32 as previously, competed for the title in the mixed doubles. The competition was held for the first time during the week before the actual start of the Grand Slam tournament and took place over just two days. Eight places in the field were allocated based on the singles rankings, and eight were awarded as wild cards. The new format had also led to criticism. The doubles specialists were largely excluded.
The singles competitions at the US Open start on Sunday.
