Bencic and Cobolli Knock Out Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz in US Open Mixed Doubles Quarterfinals
Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz are out of the 2026 US Open mixed doubles. The crossover pairing — a six-time US Open singles champion alongside the young Spanish star who has already won four Grand Slam singles titles — lost their quarterfinal to Switzerland's Belinda Bencic and Italy's Flavio Cobolli, 5-4(4), 4-1, on August 25 at Flushing Meadows.
The format here is not standard Grand Slam doubles. The 2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship uses a fast-paced scoring system with sets to four games (first to four, win by one), tiebreaks at 4-4, and no-ad scoring — meaning every point at deuce decides the game outright. It rewards aggression and rewards it fast.
Bencic and Cobolli did exactly that. The first set stayed on serve through to 4-4, where a tiebreak — a short knockout mini-set, first to seven points — settled it. Bencic and Cobolli took it 7-4. They carried that momentum straight into the second set, breaking the Williams-Alcaraz serve and closing out 4-1 to reach the semifinals (US Open).
Williams, 44, did not enter the 2026 US Open singles draw. She returned to the tournament only in doubles, four years after what many assumed was her farewell at the 2022 US Open (ESPN). The United States Tennis Association handed her and Alcaraz a wild card — an invitation into the draw that bypasses normal qualifying — on August 22 (US Open).
The pairing captured attention from the start. Williams and Alcaraz wore basketball-inspired kits for their first-round match and defeated Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 to reach the last eight (US Open). For one round, the chemistry looked real — Alcaraz's explosive court coverage paired with Williams's still-formidable serve and reflexes at the net.
Bencic and Cobolli had other ideas. Bencic, a former Olympic gold medallist, and Cobolli, a rising ATP player ranked inside the top 40, played the sharper tiebreak and held their nerve when the format offered no second chances.
For tennis fans, the appeal was obvious: two champions from different eras, sharing a court, in a format built for drama. The run lasted two rounds. It was fun while it lasted.
