US Open: Alcaraz-Raducanu, Keys-Tiafoe, Zheng-Draper among star mixed-doubles pairings
Preliminary entry list for reimagined event to be played before singles competition will feature most of the top men’s and women’s players
Imagine Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu competing together for a grand slam trophy. How about Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe as a duo? Iga Swiatek alongside Casper Ruud? Or Naomi Osaka with Nick Kyrgios?
Those are among the high-wattage pairs on Tuesday’s preliminary entry list for the reimagined US Open mixed doubles tournament on August 19-20, before singles competition begins on August 24.
Ten of the top 11 women in the WTA singles rankings – Coco Gauff, who just won the French Open for her second grand slam title, is the only one missing – and 10 of the top 11 men on the ATP tour, including No 1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, have registered to compete for the US$1 million top prize that will be split by the winners, a US$800,000 increase over last year.
“Look at the field we have,” said Stacey Allaster, who is in her final year as US Open tournament director. “It is going to be fantastic for the fans.”
Others on Tuesday’s list: Sinner and Emma Navarro, Djokovic and Olga Danilovic, Zheng Qinwen and Jack Draper, Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti, Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul, Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev, Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov, Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev, Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton, and 2024 US Open mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
It is a star-studded group that is a far cry from the mix of doubles specialists usually found in a grand slam mixed doubles bracket.