Tennis icon Serena Williams made a sensational comeback to the US Open, partnering Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles, while top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka suffered early exits.
IMAGE: Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams of the United States react during their mixed doubles Round of 16 match against Britain’s Lloyd Glasspool and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe, at Flushing Meadows, New York, August 25, 2026. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Key Points
- Serena Williams, partnering Carlos Alcaraz, made a triumphant return to the US Open, in the mixed doubles.
- The duo defeated Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool to advance to the quarter-finals.
- It was Williams’s first competitive appearance at Arthur Ashe Stadium since her 2022 farewell.
- Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka were upset in the opening round of the revamped mixed doubles format.
- The US Open mixed doubles format aims to attract singles stars and boost fan engagement.
IMAGE: Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli during their match against Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Serena Williams made a triumphant return to the US Open on Tuesday partnering Carlos Alcaraz to beat Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 in the opening round of the mixed doubles, while top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka crashed out.
The 23-times major winner had not competed at Arthur Ashe Stadium since her tearful farewell from the sport in 2022 and the crown jewel of American tennis erupted in deafening cheers as their queen took the court again.
The 44-year-old Williams had an easy rapport with Alcaraz, who is 21 years her junior, as the partners grinned and giggled their way into the quarter-finals, where they will meet Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli later on Tuesday.
“It’s always such an amazing place to be here,” said Williams. “I never expected to be back on this court.”
Serena’s Dominant Performance
IMAGE: Britain’s Henry Patten and the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova celebrate winning their US Open mixed doubles Round of 16 match against Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Williams hit a backhand winner the first time she touched the ball, earning uproarious cheers from the packed house a little more than two months after she announced her stunning comeback.
After trading breaks, Williams blasted a 120 mph (193.1 kph) ace on the penultimate point in the seventh game, drawing audible gasps from the crowd.
Alcaraz, who has not played since April due to injury, shook off the early rust to close out the set with a forehand winner.
They sprinted through the second set with ease, embracing after the win in their matching royal purple outfits.
“I’m playing next to the one and only Serena Williams,” said the seven-times major winner Alcaraz. “Trying to do the things she told me to do.”
Revamped Mixed Doubles Format
IMAGE: Aryna Sabalenka and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic react after winning a point during the match. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
The mixed doubles kicked off on Tuesday in the second year of its revamped format, which put singles stars in the spotlight in an effort to lure more fans in a standalone spot the week before the singles main draw.
The move proved a commercial success in its debut year, drawing sellout crowds and attracting many of the sport’s biggest singles names despite criticism from some doubles specialists, who argued it marginalised established pairings.
Upsets And Other Results
IMAGE: Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova are congratulated by Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic after the match. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Djokovic and Sabalenka were not so lucky against the experienced doubles players Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova, losing 1-4, 4-2, 10-2, as Siniakova sealed the upset in style with an ace out wide on match-point.
“It wasn’t looking very good for a while, in this format we play one bad game and all of a sudden the first set’s gone,” Patten said. “We knew the same could happen in the second, and we played an amazing tie-break.”
Last year’s champions, Italian duo Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, lost to Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev 1-4, 4-1, 11-9.
They will play the winner of a match between Casper Ruud and Diana Shnaider and Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz.
On the other side of the draw, married pair Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina booked their place in the semi-finals, as did Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik.
