Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz start US Open mixed doubles vs. team with women’s doubles champ

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz will begin the U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament on Tuesday against a team featuring the reigning women's doubles champion. This marks the first annual event of its kind. Williams and Alcaraz will square off against Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool in the first round. The reigning women's doubles champion, Routliffe and Glasspool, secured their spot by winning two matches in the qualifying tournament, including both requiring match tiebreakers.

They previously won the U.S. Open women's doubles title in both 2022 and 2023. The top seeds, based on having the lowest combined singles ranking in the 16-team field, are Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic. They will face the No. 1-ranked doubles players on their respective tours, Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten. The top seeds are set to play their semifinals and final on Wednesday.

Williams, who has not played singles at the U.S. Open since 2022, and Alcaraz, who has been sidelined since April with a right wrist injury, are both looking forward to defending their singles titles.