Muchova and Mensik Win US Open Mixed Doubles in Late-Night Flushing Finale
Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik won the 2026 US Open mixed doubles title on the night of August 26-27, beating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6 (10-6) in a match-time tiebreak — the first-to-ten decider that replaces a third set in this format. The finish came just before midnight at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with one million dollars in prize money on the line for the champions. The runners-up collected $500,000, and each semi-finalist earned $250,000. (The Guardian, 2026-08-27)
The two Czechs — Muchova returning to competitive play for the first time since the Wimbledon final, Mensik her younger compatriot — arrived in matching pink-and-maroon outfits and left with the trophy. (WTA Tennis, 2026-08-26) They beat Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals, having earlier dispatched Tommy Paul and Emma Navarro 4-1, 5-3 in just 48 minutes. (US Open)
Bencic and Cobolli, the No 4 seeds, came in as the form pair. They had already won the BNP Paribas Mixed Doubles title at Indian Wells in March and beat Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev en route to the final. (US Open, 2026-08-26) Their semi-final win over Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils — 4-5 (7), 4-1 (10-5) — knocked out a pairing that had never played doubles together before, despite being married since 2021 and sharing a three-year-old daughter. (AOL, 2026-08-27)
Svitolina, ranked world No 9, and Monfils, ranked 307th and set to retire after this season, drew the biggest crowd of the week before falling. Both semi-finals lasted over an hour.
The story of this tournament, though, went deeper than the final. The US Open overhauled its mixed doubles format in 2025, moving the event to the week before singles play, shrinking the draw to 16 teams, and raising the winners' cheque from $200,000 to $1 million — all to lure top singles players into the field. (The Guardian, 2026-08-27) Organisers added an eight-team qualifying draw in 2026 to let more doubles specialists in. (The Guardian, 2026-08-27)
The headline attraction was Serena Williams, back in New York for the first time since what was widely treated as her farewell at the 2022 US Open. She partnered Carlos Alcaraz, returning from a four-month wrist-injury layoff, on a wild card. (US Open, 2026-08-23) The pair reached the quarter-finals before exiting. (The Guardian, 2026-08-27)
Other big names made even quicker departures. Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka, along with Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex Eala, fell in the first round. (The Guardian, 2026-08-27) Last year's champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, did not defend their title.
For a tournament played over three days — Monday August 24 to Wednesday August 26 — the mixed doubles packed in more narrative than most Grand Slam weeks manage. The format changes have done what they were designed to do: bring stars, shorten schedules, and create a compact, high-stakes event that stands on its own.
Muchova and Mensik, colour-coordinated and composed under the lights, were the ones still standing at midnight. Two Czechs. One trophy. A million dollars split between them.
