US Open Mixed Doubles Day One | Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz run ends on action-packed opening day

Wednesday, 26 August 2026 at 08:44

The revamped US Open mixed doubles tournament delivered a first day packed with star power, unexpected results and several high-profile exits. With some of the biggest names in tennis competing in a condensed format, the focus was as much on the personalities involved as on the results themselves.

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz were among the main attractions and initially lived up to the expectations surrounding their partnership. The American legend and the reigning US Open men's singles champion defeated Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 in the first round — but their run ended just hours later, in the quarterfinals, against Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.

The results created an interesting contrast for an event built around singles stars. Doubles specialists Siniakova and Patten pulled off the day's biggest shock by eliminating top seeds Sabalenka and Djokovic, but their own run ended in the quarterfinals against Svitolina and Monfils.

By the close of play, none of the star pairings built specifically around big singles names — Djokovic/Sabalenka, Serena/Alcaraz — remained, yet the four teams left standing were still led predominantly by singles players rather than doubles specialists.

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz's run ends in the quarterfinals

The partnership between Serena and Alcaraz was always going to be one of the biggest stories of the tournament. The American returned to the US Open after her 2022 singles farewell, while Alcaraz entered the event after more than four months away from competitive tennis.

There was little sign of rust in their opening match. The pair defeated Routliffe and Glasspool in straight sets, taking control early and closing out the match without needing a deciding tiebreak. For Serena, it provided another competitive appearance at Flushing Meadows, while Alcaraz gained valuable court time ahead of the US Open singles tournament.

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Their celebration was short-lived, however. Just minutes after their first-round win, Williams and Alcaraz returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium for the quarterfinals, where fourth seeds Bencic and Cobolli proved a significantly tougher test.

The two teams went to a tiebreak in the opening set, which Bencic and Cobolli won 5-4(4), before closing out the match 4-1 in the second to end the superstar pairing's run. "To play Carlos and Serena, it is a great honour," Bencic said afterwards. "We felt their aura for sure."

Djokovic and Sabalenka among the early exits

The most notable upset came when Sabalenka and Djokovic, the No. 1 seeds, were eliminated in the very first round by Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten. The star pairing took the opening set but the experienced doubles pair fought back to force a match tiebreak, which Siniakova and Patten dominated 1-4, 4-2, 10-2, with Siniakova sealing it with an ace on match point.

Pegula and Fritz also saw their campaign end early. The American pairing, which had been reunited after their original partners withdrew, lost 4-2, 4-1 to Shnaider and Ruud, meaning the home crowd will not see one of its most anticipated combinations in the later stages.

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Other headline partnerships also fell in the first round. Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev lost 4-2, 4-2 to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, while defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori were beaten by Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev 1-4, 4-1, 11-9.

The results highlighted one of the unusual characteristics of the new format. The tournament may be built around singles stars, but the short sets, no-ad scoring and match tiebreaks leave little room for slow starts or recovery. Doubles experience can also become particularly valuable when matches are decided by a handful of points.

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Svitolina and Monfils emerge as the leading star pairing

Among the remaining headline combinations, Svitolina and Monfils produced the strongest run of the day. The husband-and-wife team survived a dramatic contest against Siniakova and Patten, winning 4-5, 5-4, 10-8 after recovering from losing the opening set, to become the first pair through to the semifinals.

Their progress gives the tournament an additional storyline, particularly with Monfils preparing for his final US Open appearance. "Happy wife, happy life," Monfils said in their post-match interview.

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A mixed result for the star-driven concept

The opening day therefore produced a mixed result for the US Open's star-driven mixed doubles concept. The biggest names generated the headlines, but by the end of the day, neither Djokovic/Sabalenka nor Serena/Alcaraz remained in the draw. Even so, the semifinal lineup — Svitolina/Monfils, Bencic/Cobolli, Muchova/Mensik and Andreeva/Rublev — is still dominated by singles players rather than doubles specialists.

With the semifinals and final both taking place on Wednesday, one of these four teams will lift the $1 million trophy by the end of the night — and it is far less certain than it appeared when the draw was announced which one that will be.

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Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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