With star-studded pairings, record prize money and a healthy dose of controversy, the US Open mixed doubles draw gets underway Tuesday in New York with more fanfare than ever before.
Wondering what exactly is so unusual about this event or what we can expect from it? Here’s everything you need to know before play begins.
OK, so what makes this different from a typical mixed doubles tournament at a Slam?
Quite a bit. Normally, the mixed doubles event runs concurrently with the main draw and the championship match is held during the final weekend. But this edition will be condensed into two days during qualifying week. While mixed doubles matches are often relegated to the outer courts, and scheduled around singles and doubles matches, these will all be held exclusively at Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, the two biggest courts at the USTA National Tennis Center.
And, in addition to a radically different format (more on that below), this tournament also features an unprecedented number of top-ranked singles players.
Usually a player’s doubles ranking is used for entry and seeding in mixed doubles events, but the US Open is using singles rankings, making entry more accessible for the best-known players. Because many top players — especially the men, who play best-of-five sets — don’t want to jeopardize their singles runs during majors, they often don’t play mixed doubles. But by holding mixed doubles the week before the main draw, this is no longer an issue. Two-time US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe told ESPN it felt like a no-brainer to play as a result.
“We get to play serious matches on Ashe, in front of packed arenas, and all the best players in the world are going to be playing,” Tiafoe said earlier this month. “It’s good to get out there and have some fun, play some mixed doubles the week before [the main draw starts]. I’m going to be there doing media and all other kinds of stuff anyways, so might as well go out there and try to make some extra money and keep my lights on a little bit.”
So, who is playing?
Though there have been some incredible mixed doubles partnerships in the past (see: Serena Williams and Andy Murray at Wimbledon in 2019), this is unquestionably the most star-studded field in history. Across the 16 pairs, there are 10 major singles champions in the draw — with a combined 54(!) Slam titles between them — and seven other players who have reached a major singles final.
Eight teams were given direct entry due to their combined singles rankings, and an additional eight were given wild cards. All are capable of winning the title.
Direct entry:
Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper
Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud
Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz
Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune
Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev
Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev
Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe
Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev
Wild cards:
Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic
Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz
Katerina Siniakova and Jannik Sinner
Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton
Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori (defending champions)
Naomi Osaka and Gael Monfils
Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti
We should mention, this is the official list as of Sunday night. But the pairs have changed a fair amount over the past few days, and we wouldn’t be surprised if some additional players withdrew and were replaced at the last minute. Swiatek, Alcaraz and Sinner are all playing Monday in their respective finals in Cincinnati and that could prove challenging for Tuesday’s event.
Jasmine Paolini, who will be playing against Swiatek for the Cincinnati title, was originally slated to be partnered with Musetti but announced she would no longer be doing so after making the final. Nonetheless, all of the remaining players are excited about the opportunity to play alongside other superstars. Alcaraz, a five-time major champion, has been vocal all summer long about his enthusiasm for pairing up with Raducanu.
“She’s going to be the boss,” Alcaraz said during a news conference at Queen’s Club in June. “I’m super excited about it. I think it’s going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament.”
What exactly is the format?
If you haven’t already been sold on just how unique this event is, this aspect will surely convince you.
Held in a significantly shortened two-day span, starting on Tuesday at 11 a.m. ET with the first and second rounds, and concluding Wednesday with the semifinals and final, even the matches themselves will have a different look. Though they will be best-of-three sets, as is standard, a team needs to win only four games to claim the set. If both teams have won four games, there will be a tiebreak to determine the set victor. There is also no-advantage scoring so if a deuce score is reached in a game, the team who wins the next point takes the game.
If there is a tie after the second set, there will be a 10-point tiebreak instead of a decider.
In the final, the format reverts to a best-of-three set match with a team needing to win six games to clinch the set. A 10-point tiebreak remains in place of a third set.
When speaking to reporters at the Cincinnati Open, Venus Williams said she was excited to try something new.
“I love innovation,” Williams said. “I feel it’s fantastic. We’re going to all get out there and play and 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 make?
This is yet another dramatic difference from previous years and the other Slams, and perhaps another reason for the influx of big names in the draw. The winning pair will split a $1 million paycheck — an $800,000 increase from 2024.
The mixed doubles champions at Wimbledon in July made about $181,000 to share. The 2025 French Open champions earned roughly $142,000 and the winning duo at the Australian Open took home around $114,000.
The runners-up in New York will earn $400,000. Teams will make $20,000 simply for making the draw and losing in their opening-round match. When asked by ESPN why he wanted to play in the event, Tiafoe couldn’t help but immediately reference the purse, before clarifying he was joking.
“The prize money is decent, I heard,” Tiafoe said with a smile.
This all sounds great. How do players feel about it?
This is where things get, well, mixed.
For big-name players, such as Tiafoe, Alcaraz and Williams, it’s an exciting development and a chance to do something new. For other players, specifically doubles specialists, it’s not quite as well-received.
Townsend and Shelton teamed up at the tournament in 2023 and Townsend currently holds the No. 1 doubles ranking and is a frequent fixture in mixed draws. But Errani and Vavassori — the 2024 champions — are the lone returning pair from last year and the only team that has played together this season. Townsend’s doubles partner Katerina Siniakova, a 10-time major doubles champion who is also the reigning Wimbledon and Olympic mixed doubles champion, had been critical about the selection of who gets to play. She had signed up for entry with Marcelo Arevalo in July. Both were the top-ranked doubles players in the world at the time.
“When two world No. 1s in doubles don’t get into the tournament, there’s probably nothing more to say about it,” Siniakova said in an interview translated from her native Czech with Canal+ in July.
Siniakova was ultimately named alongside Sinner on Sunday after Emma Navarro, his original partner, withdrew. But she is still one of just 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” for doubles players.
Kristina Mladenovic, a two-time mixed doubles champion, called it a “brilliant idea” in terms of making additional revenue and getting more eyes on the tournament during the qualifying week, but ultimately called it a “super exhibition.”
“There’s no problem putting on such an event, but above all, don’t call it a Grand Slam,” she added in an interview with Eurosport.
But, it’s safe to say this tournament can already be deemed somewhat successful in terms of fan interest, hype and curiosity.
