Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams delivered an unforgettable opening chapter to their partnership in the mixed doubles draw at the US Open in New York, capturing a dramatic victory before falling in the quarterfinals. Playing under the lights at Flushing Meadows, the Spanish star and the American legend teamed up for the first time in an event pairing athletes whose careers span multiple generations of tennis history.
A Generational Partnership Takes the Court in New York
When Carlos Alcaraz was born on May 5, 2003, Serena Williams was already the world number one in tennis and held five Grand Slams. Twenty-three years later, the pair stepped onto the court at the US Open to compete side by side. Alcaraz entered the tournament following a four-month layoff due to a wrist injury sustained in Barcelona, marking his return to official competition equipped in a sleeveless Nike shirt. The opening moments brought immediate nerves, with Alcaraz starting the match with a double fault and dropping his opening service game. Yet the duo settled into a rhythm, eventually overcoming a deficit that included saving two set points in the opening frame.
Round of 16 Triumph Over Established Specialists
In the round of 16, Alcaraz and Williams faced Lloyd Glasspool and Erin Routliffe, two established doubles specialists. Glasspool held the doubles number one ranking a year prior and captured the 2025 Wimbledon title, while Routliffe led the ranking in 2024 and secured US Open titles in 2023 and 2025. Contested under a shortened format featuring four-game sets and a sudden-death golden point at 40-40, the match provided high-energy entertainment. Alcaraz and Williams emerged victorious with a 5-3, 4-1 scoreline. “I just do whatever Serena tells me to do,” Alcaraz joked after taking the opening set. Williams echoed the sentiment, telling reporters, “It’s fantastic to play with Carlos. We’ve enjoyed it so much. I never thought something like this could happen.”
Quarterfinal Exit Against Cobolli and Bencic
The run came to an end in the quarterfinals, where Alcaraz and Williams faced Italy’s Flavio Cobolli and Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic. Cobolli and Bencic halted the run with a 5-4, 4-1 victory. The winners advanced to a semifinal showdown against the married tour couple Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina, who married in 2021. The tournament’s mixed doubles bracket also featured high-profile early exits, including Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka falling in their opening match 1-4, 4-2, 10-2 to current doubles number ones Henry Patten and Kateřina Siniaková. The winners of the mixed doubles event will claim a prize of one million dollars, 500,000 euros per player.
Legacy and Flushing Meadows History
The pairing united two players who share a profound historical connection to the U.S. Open. Both Williams and Alcaraz claimed their first Grand Slam singles titles in New York—Williams in 1999, years before Alcaraz was born, and Alcaraz in 2022. Between them, the duo boasts 30 major singles titles, with Williams holding 23 and Alcaraz collecting seven. For Williams, the appearance marked a return to Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2022. Her longevity in mixed doubles competition is underlined by her past victory in the discipline back in 1998 alongside Belarusian player Max Mirnyi, who currently serves as a coach to Sabalenka.
What Lies Ahead
With the mixed doubles campaign concluded, Alcaraz shifts his full focus back to the men’s singles draw at Flushing Meadows, where he stands as a primary headliner in the absence of Jannik Sinner.
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