Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz Win Opening Match at US Open Mixed Doubles
Serena Williams returned to Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2022, partnering Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open mixed doubles — and 15,000 fans packed Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch them win their opener 5-3, 4-1 against Britain's Lloyd Glasspool and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe on Tuesday.
Williams, 44, was competing in New York for the first time since she "evolved away" from tennis four years ago. Her last US Open mixed doubles title came in 1998, alongside Max Mirnyi — five years before Alcaraz was born. Alcaraz, a seven-time major winner, was playing his first competitive match since April 2025 after injuring his wrist. The pair wore basketball-inspired kits for the occasion (US Open).
The partnership was announced on 22 August, when the US Open granted Williams and Alcaraz a wild card — a free entry into the draw, bypassing the usual ranking requirements — for the Mixed Doubles Championship (US Open). Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul received wild cards in the same announcement. The top seeds in the draw were Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic (US Open).
Wednesday brought the quarter-finals, and the end of the road. Italy's Flavio Cobolli and Switzerland's Belinda Bencic beat Williams and Alcaraz 5-4 (7-4), 4-1, denying them a place in the semi-finals. The first set went to a tiebreak — a mini-game to decide a set that ends level — and Cobolli and Bencic took it 7-4 before pulling away in the second.
Tuesday's results raised a pointed question about the tournament's revamped mixed doubles format. All four specialist doubles pairings lost to teams of singles players on the day, and the new format has drawn criticism for favouring top singles stars over established doubles specialists (BBC Sport).
For Williams, the return was the story. A 23-time Grand Slam champion and six-time US Open singles winner, she stepped back onto the same court where she has played some of the defining matches of her career. For Alcaraz, it was competitive minutes after months on the sideline. Neither got the trophy run they wanted, but 15,000 people inside Arthur Ashe Stadium — a crowd that would fill most football grounds — told you what the pairing meant to tennis.
