Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz saw their mixed doubles campaign at the US Open come to an end on Tuesday, falling in the quarterfinals to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 5-4 (4), 4-1 at Flushing Meadows. The defeat halted a brief, star-studded run that had captivated crowds in New York.
For Williams, the tournament marked a return to the competition courts after a four-year absence. For Alcaraz, it provided his first competitive action in four months following a right wrist injury that forced him to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon. Despite the loss, both players exited the Arthur Ashe Stadium court to warm applause, stopping to sign autographs for fans before turning their focus to upcoming commitments.
A Star-Studded Pairing Meets a Tough Test
Before taking the court, Cobolli described his opponents as “the tennis queen and the king of the present,” a nod to a combined total of eight U.S. Open singles titles between the two champions. The match lived up to its billing in terms of atmosphere, drawing loud backing from the New York faithful who chanted for Alcaraz throughout the contest.
In the opening round, Williams and Alcaraz had overcome a slow start to defeat Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1. After dropping a tight first-set tiebreak, the veteran-and-youth duo fell behind in the second set as Bencic and Cobolli seized control with precise baseline play and efficient serving.
«Creo que todo el mundo pudo ver: cometí doble falta en el primer punto», said Alcaraz regarding his initial jitters. «Estaba realmente, realmente nervioso. Estuve fuera cuatro meses… casi olvido cómo se siente». The 23-year-old Spaniard played with a protective sleeve on his right arm, navigating his first competitive points since mid-April.
Formats and Futures at Flushing Meadows
The mixed doubles draw utilizes a condensed format during its initial rounds, featuring four-game sets with tiebreaks at 4-4 and a 10-point tiebreak replacing a traditional third set. Only Wednesday’s final features standard six-game sets, with a $1 million prize on the line for the tournament champions.
For Williams, who turned 44 and returned to competition without plans to contest the singles draw, the immediate question centers on whether she might partner with her sister Venus in the women’s doubles draw. Meanwhile, Alcaraz returns to the practice courts on Wednesday to prepare for his opening match in the men’s singles main draw.
The singles tournament presents a different physical challenge for the world number three, who will face best-of-five-set matches for the first time since claiming the Australian Open title in January.
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