Serena Returns: Williams and Alcaraz Win One, Then Fall in US Open Mixed Doubles
Serena Williams came back to Flushing Meadows 1,453 days after a defeat that looked like her farewell, teamed up with Carlos Alcaraz, won a round, and then lost in the quarter-finals of the reimagined US Open mixed doubles. She is 44 years old. He is 23, with four Grand Slam singles titles of his own. Together they carried 30 major singles crowns into Arthur Ashe Stadium — a record for any mixed-doubles pairing at a Grand Slam. The Guardian
The return had been three days in the making. On 22 August, the US Open announced Williams and Alcaraz had received a wild card — a free entry into the draw, given to players the organisers want in the field — into the Mixed Doubles Championship, presented by Vital Proteins. US Open The draw, revealed the next day, seeded them seventh and placed them in the top half. US Open
Williams declined the singles wild card the tournament had kept open for her. That spot went to Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion. So this mixed-doubles run was the only tennis Williams played at the 2026 US Open. The Guardian
She and Alcaraz warmed up in matching purple-and-black Nike kits, then beat the British-New Zealand pair of Lloyd Glasspool and Erin Routliffe 5-3, 4-1 in the first round. The format helped: since a 2025 overhaul moved the mixed doubles to a standalone slot before the singles draw, early rounds use four-game sets, no-ad scoring — meaning the first team to four points wins a game outright, no deuce — and a 10-point tiebreak decider. Only the final reverts to traditional six-game sets. The field was cut to 16 teams, and the top prize raised to $1m. The Guardian
The quarter-final was where it ended. Fourth seeds Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli — who had beaten the wildcard pair of Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev to reach the last eight — took the match 5-4 (4), 4-1. The whole thing lasted 55 minutes. The Guardian
Bencic and Cobolli were one of several teams who made the revamped format look dangerous for the big names. Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka lost their opening match on Ashe to Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten. Siniakova and Patten then fell to Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in a three-set thriller — 5-4 (6), 4-5 (3), 10-8 — that showed exactly why the shortened format produces tight finishes. The Guardian
For Monfils, the tournament carries extra weight. This is his final Grand Slam before retirement, and with Svitolina he stood two wins from the title and a seven-figure payday. The Guardian
What makes this stand out is how naturally Williams and Alcaraz fitted together, despite a 21-year age gap and wildly different eras of tennis. She is a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and six-time US Open winner. WTA ATP He is the young Spaniard already collecting majors at a rate that invites comparison with the very best. The pairing drew a full house to Arthur Ashe on a night when the singles had not even started.
The run was short. The night was not forgettable.
