Serena Williams and Alcaraz unite in US Open mixed doubles

Serena Williams and Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz will team up for the US Open mixed doubles tournament. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced the mixed doubles pairings, featuring Williams making her return to the US Open after a two-year hiatus. The 44-year-old American, a six-time US Open singles champion, previously won the 1998 US Open mixed doubles title alongside Max Mirnyi. Alcaraz, a seven-time Slam singles winner, will compete with Williams in their first mixed doubles appearance together.

The wildcard entries for mixed doubles included Czech duo Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, as well as Americans Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul. Williams had previously played women's doubles with her sister Venus for the first time since 2022, but they lost in the first round at Cincinnati. The mixed doubles tournament is set to begin on Tuesday and wrap up on Wednesday at the National Tennis Centre, where the main US Open event starts on August 30.

With Britain's Jack Draper and Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina pulling out of the US Open mixed doubles, their former partners, Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, have been reassigned and received direct entry into the main draw. Diana Shnaider, who was left without a partner when fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev withdrew, will have the opportunity to find a new partner and potentially advance before the draw is finalized on Sunday, ahead of Monday's start of qualifying.