Star-studded pairings, record-breaking prize money and healthy controversy will mark the US open-mix double draw with more fanfare than ever before in New York.
Are you wondering what is so unusual about this event, or what can you expect from it? Everything you need to know before you start playing.
So why is this different from the typical mixed double stomping tournament in a slam?
pretty. Mixed doubles events usually run at the same time as the main draw, and championship matches take place on the final weekend. However, this edition will be condensed into two days during qualifying week. Mixed doubles matches are often left to outside courts and are scheduled around singles and doubles matches, but all of these are held only at the two largest courts of the USTA National Tennis Center, Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium.
In addition to a fundamentally different format (more onwards), the tournament also includes an unprecedented number of top-ranked single players.
Player double rankings are usually used to input and seed into mixed doubles events, but US Open uses single rankings, making entries more accessible to the most well-known players. Many top players, especially men who play the best of five sets, do not play mixed doubles, as they do not want to risk a single run during the majors. However, by holding the mixed double in the week before the main draw, this is no longer a problem. Two-time US open semi-finals list Francistiáfo told ESPN that he felt he couldn’t play as a result.
“We can have a serious game at Ash in front of a packed arena, and the best players in the world will play,” Tierfour said earlier this month. “It’s good to get out there and have a good time (the main draw starts).
So who’s playing?
Although there have been several incredible mixed doubles partnerships in the past (see Wimbledon’s Serena Williams and Andy Murray in 2019), this is undoubtedly the most star-studded field in history. Over 16 pairs, the draw has 10 major singles champions. There are seven other players who have reached the major singles final, combining 54 (!) slam titles.
The single ranking total gave eight teams direct entry, and eight more teams were given wild cards. Everything can win the title.
Direct input:
Jessica Pegra and Jack Draper
IGA is Switt and Casperlad
Elena Ribakina and Taylor Fritz
Amanda Anisimoba and Holger Rune
Belinda Bensick and Alexander Zverev
Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev
Madison Keys and Francis Tiaphore
Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rubev
Wildcards:
Olga Danilovich and Novak Djokovic
Emma
Katerina Siniakova and Jannik Sinner
Taylortownsend and Ben Shelton
Venus Williams and Riley Opelka
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori (Defense Champion)
Naomi Osaka and Gael Monfils
Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti
This is the official list for Sunday Nights. However, the pair have changed quite a bit over the past few days. You wouldn’t be surprised if additional players were retreated and exchanged at the last moment. Swiatek, Alcaraz and Sinner all play on Monday in their respective finals in Cincinnati.
Jasmine Parini, who will face Sweet for the Cincinnati title, was originally going to partner with Mumetti, but has announced that he will no longer do so after making the final. Nevertheless, the rest of the players are all excited about the opportunity to play alongside other superstars. A five-time major champion, Alcaraz has been speaking out all summer about his enthusiasm for pairing with Raducanu.
“She’s going to be a boss,” Alcaraz said at a press conference at Queen’s Club in June. “I’m very excited about it. I think it’s great. It was a great idea for the tournament.”
What exactly is the form?
If this aspect is not yet sold about how unique this event is, surely Convince you.
It will be held at 11am on Tuesday in a two-day span that was significantly reduced in the first and second rounds, closing with the semi-finals and finals on Wednesday, with even the match itself looking different. Like the standard, it will be three sets, but the team will only win four games to charge the set. If both teams win four games, there will be a tiebreak to determine the set Victor. Also, there is no advantage scorer, so if you reach a Deuce score in the game, the team who wins the next point will be in the game.
If there is a tie after the second set, there will be a 10-point tie break on behalf of the decider.
In the final, the format will return to the best three set matches with teams who need to win six games to clinch the set. A 10-point tiebreak will remain in place of the third set.
Speaking to reporters at the Cincinnati Open, Venus Williams said he was excited to try something new.
“I love innovation,” Williams said. “I feel it’s great. We’re all going out there and playing and going to see how it works. I’m not used to playing four games, but I’m used to playing games. That’s a plus.”
How much will the winning team earn?
This is another dramatic difference from past years and other slams, and perhaps another reason for the influx of big names in the draw. The winning pair splits a million dollar salary. This is an increase of $800,000 from 2024.
The mixed doubles champion at Wimbledon in July made about $181,000 to share. The 2025 French Open Championship won around $142,000, while the winning duo at the Australian Open took home around $114,000.
The runner-up in New York earns $400,000. The team will make $20,000 just to draw and lose in the opening round match. When asked by ESPN why he wanted to play in the event, Tiafoe was forced to immediately refer to his wallet before he joked.
“I heard the prize money is decent,” Tiafoe said with a smile.
All of this is great. How do players feel about it?
This is where things mix together.
For famous players like Tiafoe, Alcaraz, Williams, and more, it’s an exciting development and an opportunity to do something new. It’s not that popular with other players, especially the double specialists.
Townsend and Shelton teamed up in the tournament in 2023, and Townsend currently holds the No. 1 Doubles rankings and frequently prepares with mixed draws. However, 2024 champions Errani and Vavassori are the only return pair since last year and the only teams they have played together this season. Townsend’s doubles partner Katerina Siniakova is also a 10-time major doubles champion who is also a mixed doubles champion between the Wimbledon and the Olympics, and was critical of who would choose to play. She had signed up to enter with Marcelo Arevalo in July. Both were the top-ranked double players in the world at the time.
“When the two world No. 1 in doubles doesn’t take part in the tournament, there’s probably no more to say about it,” Seniorkova said in July in an interview translated by her native Czech Republic as Canal+.
Seniorkova was ultimately appointed alongside the criminal on Sunday after his former partner, Emma Navarro, retreated. However, she is still one of only a handful of doubles specialists in the draw.
Sam Verbeek, who won the Wimbledon title with Siniakova in July, said in an interview with the BBC that his “heart is bleeding.”
Two-time mixed doubles champion Christina Muradenovic was called a “great idea” in terms of making extra revenue during qualifying week and looking more at the tournament, but ultimately called the “super exhibition.”
“There’s no problem with having an event like this, but above all, don’t call it a Grand Slam,” she added in an interview with Eurosport.
However, it is safe to say that the tournament can already be considered somewhat successful in terms of fan interest, hype and curiosity.