NEW YORK -- The anticipation builds for
Both players received a wild card entry into the 16-team mixed doubles tournament, which is scheduled to kick off with the first round and quarterfinals on Tuesday. The semifinals and finals will follow on Wednesday, with the winning duo set to share a substantial prize of $1 million. However, the challenge ahead is formidable, as many participants in the qualifying tournament are seasoned doubles specialists, making the competition particularly fierce.
Qualifying Tournament Introduced
This year, the U.S. Tennis Association introduced the qualifying tournament to provide doubles specialists with an opportunity to compete, a move prompted by last year's format changes that limited their participation. In 2022, the mixed doubles event was revamped to prioritize star power, basing direct entries on players' singles rankings, which left many doubles experts sidelined.
In the mixed doubles draw, the top seed is the formidable duo of Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending women's champion, and Novak Djokovic, who boasts an impressive 23 Grand Slam singles titles. They earned the No. 1 seed due to their low combined singles ranking and will face Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe in their opening match. Following closely, the second-seeded American pair of Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz will compete against Diana Shnaider and Casper Ruud, who stepped in after Iga Swiatek withdrew from the tournament.
Exciting Matchups Ahead
Other notable first-round matchups include married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils taking on Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, as well as Belinda Bencic teaming up with Flavio Cobolli against Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev. Additionally, Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik will face another team from the qualifying tournament, while Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul are set to compete against Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien. The defending champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, will also be in action against Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, adding to the excitement of this year's mixed doubles event.
