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FLUSHING MEADOWS, New York – And here you thought the US Open only started next Sunday.
But no. The much maligned, beleaguered and defection-ridden new US Open version of the mixed doubles event – one that had been held with less fanfare but much integrity since Joseph Clark and Marian Wright beat P Johnson and Adelina Robinson 1-6, 6-5, 6-4, 6-3 all the way back in 1888 – kicks off Tuesday morning.
And hours from that ignominious reboot, we’re still probably not sure who will even be playing.
Update: As the event actually got underway, Jannik Sinner (as expected) withdrew, along with his last-minute third partner, Katerina Siniakova. No replacement was initially named; they were waiting for the sign-in deadline – and the RUSH of potential applicants who might want a piece of this – to choose the highest-combined singles ranking.
The winners: the American team of Christian Harrison and Danielle Collins. With Harrison’s singles ranking of … well, he has no ranking.
Joseph Clark, a Harvard-educated lawyer from Germantown, PA who was the oldest practicing attorney in Philadelphia when he passed away at age 94 back in 1956 and was the president of the precursor of the USTA, the United States Lawn Tennis Association for three years, would be appalled.
But here we are. It’s the first Grand Slam championship in memory to have an official sponsor – it is, officially, the “US Open Mixed Doubles Championship presented by Vital Proteins” !!!
That sponsor makes collagen peptides (You can get their summer tricoloured popsicle flavour for a limited time!).
It something Sinner, who is due to play today on Louis Armstrong with last-minute sub Katerina Siniakova – very much last, but barely 24 hours after he played five games in the Cincinnati Open men’s singles final against Jannik Sinner, and retired – might add to his wellness routine.
Perhaps it’ll help what will be a miraculous recovery, after a 12-day tournament in Cincinnati played in brutal weather conditions.
Iga Swiatek, who played hours later in Cincinnati and won the women’s final, didn’t get the same friendly scheduling. She and Casper Ruud are second up on Arthur Ashe Stadium, not before noon.
As of Monday night, she was just hoping she wouldn’t miss her flight from Cincinnati to New York. Be a shame to miss this, after all. The winners split $1 million.
(You’d think the USTA would have sent a private plane to ferry their stars to New York without stress for this thing. It appears this didn’t happen).
Carlos Alcaraz, who won the men’s final in Cincinnati, is third up on Arthur Ashe (not before 2 p.m.).
Jasmine Paolini, who was beaten by Swiatek and was to play with countryman Lorenzo Musetti, wisely was a late withdrawal.
But we’re pleased that Novak Djokovic, who has been on the down-low since Wimbledon, arrived at the USTA National Tennis Center last night.
Novak New York@DjokerNole arrives at the US Open. pic.twitter.com/sfqW3pppo3
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 18, 2025
Good for tennis!!!!!
We should note that they’ve been hyping this “revamped” facsimile of an actual Grand Slam event since … Feb. 11, when the first announcement came from the USTA announcing this radical and systematic obliteration of a genuine Grand Slam trophy.
Yes, it wasn’t the the most-watched or most talked-about event, having been relegated in recent years mostly to doubles specialists who are extremely talented, but don’t necessarily push the money bus – and the occasional real-life love pairing to spice things up.
These two are ready to bring the fun to the Mixed Doubles Championship!
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 17, 2025
Rune and Anisimova will face Shelton and Townsend in Round 1! pic.twitter.com/WPY2ELRelH
USTA CEO Lew Sherr breathlessly noted that they were “working closely with top players, many of whom are eager to be part of this historic change” and that “excitement is high among the game’s top stars who have already expressed intent to compete in this reimagined format.”
It was altruistic, of course. They felt mixed doubles had been “overshadowed” by the singles and doubles, “limiting viewership” and lowering its appeal. They also felt that having the stars play was a “great way to inspire more people to pick up a racquet. Many Americans already play doubles recreationally and when given the chance to watch the best players in the world teaming up, we believe this will encourage even more to play.”
Consider the eye rolls controlled.
The Evian corporate merger of Alcaraz and Raducanu
Notwithstanding that many of the proposed pairs had never so much as even said hello in the lunchroom, Wimbledon – and its corporate partner, Evian – went full out on the content with proposed duo Carlos Alcaraz (they signed him just before the Championships) and Emma Raducanu.
Smiling Emma Raducanu & Carlos Alcaraz grow closer as pair spotted with arms round each other in pics for water brand
— Sun Sport (@SunSport) June 28, 2025
https://t.co/G0ZXKJJceW
With the flourishing tabloid press in the UK eating up every morsel, it was certainly a success and Raducanu and Alcaraz played their parts well.
Nothing like the original
Two months ago, the initial entry list was announced.
A STAR-STUDDED lineup of teams have officially entered the reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Championship!
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 17, 2025
More info: https://t.co/bIMJGbf3qI pic.twitter.com/Hw1yA87pgj
A month later, at the official entry deadline, more teams were added. Some actual doubles players put their names in there in the wake of the completely justified criticism that they were being joyfully shut out of the process. That included, it should be mentioned, the reigning champions of the event – Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
Life … gets in the way
From there, well, things got a little messy.
– Zheng Qinwen had elbow surgery, so her planned pairing with Jack Draper was off.
– Grigor Dimitrov is missing the US Open, so his pairing with Aryna Sabalenka was off (and Sabalenka just said, yeah, nah, I’ll not try to replace him)
– We don’t breathlessly keep up with the love pairings, but it appears Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have broken up again. Plus, Badosa is injured and will miss the US Open. So her replacement partnership with Jack Draper was also off the table.
– Emma Navarro dumped Sinner at the last minute to play the WTA 500 in Monterrey. leaving him, per some reports, IN A RACE AGAINST TIME!!!!! to replace her.
On Sunday, more changes – the USTA euphemistally is calling it “transactions filling out the final, 16-team field”.
– Suddenly single, Sinner is repairing with Katerina Siniakova. Now, it’s worth noting that Siniakova took the entire North American summer hard-court season off. And that, as one of the finest doubles players – of any kind – in the world, she was very much left out of this entire discussion.
– Jasmine Paolini, who played singles and doubles in Cincinnati and played the Sunday night singles final against Iga Swiatek despite having rolled her ankle in a previous win over Coco Gauff, sent her regrets. Her partner, Lorenzo Musetti, will now play with Caty McNally in a pairing that has far less appeal. It’s entirely likely the two will meet for the first time when they take the court.
– Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe, who had once needed a wild card to enter the tournament, are now directly in on their ranking.
– Same for the pairing of Andrey Rublev and Karolina Muchova.
– To no one’s surprise, Nick Kyrgios (who was to play with agency-mate Naomi Osaka, was never going to make the start line. And so, Osaka (for whom doubles is some strange sort of tennis-like apparition on her television and who has zero familiarity with the net area), will now play with crowd favorite Gaël Monfils. The train-wreck potential of this one, with Monfils (we’re confident) planning to have a fun time without much concern on the outcome, might be must-see TV.
The “format”
This is a real, true Grand Slam title on the line.
But this didn’t stop the USTA from deciding that it didn’t need to have an ACTUAL traditional format.
And so, the “sets” will be first to four games, no-ad acoring, tiebreakers at 4-4 and, in lieu of a third set, a match tiebreak.
BUT, when they get to the final, it will be a completely different format! But not, of course, an actual one. Those “sets” will be first to six, with the other details staying the same.
The event will go on ESPN2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (when there will be no Djokovic, no Alcaraz and Raducanu – and perhaps the tail end of Tiafoe/Keys, Swiatek and Williams/Opelka).
After that, it will be broadcast for friends and family on … ESPNews.
(You can also get it online, if you subscribe to ESPN+).
Let the games begin!!!!!
(And don’t forget to pick up your jar of “Vital Proteins” to help you get through it).
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