US Open mixed doubles semi-finals set as all four specialist teams eliminated, Serena and Alcaraz lose in quarters
Extrait: Every specialist doubles team is out of the US Open mixed event, Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz managed one win before their quarter-final exit, and four fresh pairings – including a Williams-Alcaraz conqueror in Bencic and Cobolli – now chase the title.
August 25, 2026, New York City, New York, USA: CARLOS ALCARAZ of Spain and SERENA WILLIAMS of USA during the match in the first round mixed doubles of US Open against E. Routliffe of New Zealand and L. Glasspool of Great Britain. New York, USA. (Credit Image: © Marcin Cholewinski/ZUMA Press Wire)/20260825_zsp_c278_050/ZEUS/2608260147
The US Open mixed doubles semi-final line-up is set: Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, and Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev will try to win the $1 million prize on offer in the second edition of the revamped mixed doubles format – one that drew criticism in 2025 for squeezing out doubles specialists in favor of ranking-based, singles-star pairings, even though a specialist team, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, still went on to win that inaugural title.
This year, with all four specialist teams eliminated before the semis, that particular debate has gone quiet. Every team built around a doubles specialist has been eliminated before the semis, while Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz, the most talked-about pairing in the draw, won one match before their run ended in the quarter-finals.
The doubles specialists fell at both ends of the draw. Czech Katerina Siniakova and Britain’s Henry Patten opened the tournament by upsetting the No. 1 seeds, Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, 1-4, 4-2, [10-2], only to be eliminated themselves in the quarter-finals by Svitolina and Monfils, 5-4, 4-5, [10-8], a match remembered for one of Monfils’s trademark full-stretch defensive gets.
Italy’s Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori lost in the first round to Andreeva and Rublev, 1-4, 4-1, [11-9], with Andreeva and Rublev saving a match point along the way. New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and Britain’s Lloyd Glasspool were beaten in the first round by Williams and Alcaraz, 5-3, 4-1, and France’s Kristina Mladenovic and El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo lost to Muchova and Mensik, 4-1, 2-4, [10-7].
Williams and Alcaraz’s run ended in the quarter-finals, where Bencic and the No. 4 seed Cobolli beat them 5-4, 4-1. Alcaraz, who made his first appearance on a professionnel Tour since Barcelona last April, had opened his tournament admitting he was nervous stepping back on court after nearly five months out. “I double-faulted the first point, so… I was really, really nervous,” he said after the pair’s win over Routliffe and Glasspool.
“It was just a couple of games. She made it really easy for me.” Williams called the run “a bonus,” telling Andrea Petkovic courtside: “I never expected to be back on this court. I never thought this would happen.” After their elimination, the pair kept the mood light. “I feel great — even if I lost, playing with her, I’m feeling amazing,” Alcaraz said. “We won one, we lost one,” Williams said. “We tied,” Alcaraz replied.
It was just a couple of games. She made it really easy for me.
Andreeva and Rublev needed match points of their own to reach the semis, saving one against Errani and Vavassori in the first round before facing Ruud and Shnaider in the quarter-final. Up 4-1 and 3-1 in the second set, they let the match slip to a decider before closing it out on their fifth match point of the tiebreak, 4-1, 4-5, [10-5]. “So nice to play with Andrey by my side. He’s super stable – I can do whatever I want and he’s just gonna be there covering me,” Andreeva said. Asked if he agreed, Rublev replied: “I better listen to the woman.”
Bencic and Cobolli were the most dominant team through the quarter-finals, dropping just one set across their wins over Townsend and Zverev and over Williams and Alcaraz. They now face Svitolina and Monfils for a place in the final, while Muchova and Mensik face Andreeva and Rublev in the other semi-final.
US Open 2026 mixed doubles Results
First round
Siniakova/Patten d. Sabalenka/Djokovic 1-4, 4-2, [10-2]
Svitolina/Monfils d. Eala/Auger-Aliassime 4-1, 4-1
Bencic/Cobolli d. Townsend/Zverev 4-2, 4-2
S. Williams/Alcaraz d. Routliffe/Glasspool 5-3, 4-1
Muchova/Mensik d. Mladenovic/Arevalo 4-1, 2-4, [10-7]
Navarro/Paul d. Anisimova/Tien 5-3, 4-2
Andreeva/Rublev d. Errani/Vavassori 1-4, 4-1, [11-9]
Shnaider/Ruud d. Pegula/Fritz 4-2, 4-1
Quarter-finals
Svitolina/Monfils d. Siniakova/Patten 5-4, 4-5, [10-8]
Bencic/Cobolli d. S. Williams/Alcaraz 5-4, 4-1
Muchova/Mensik d. Navarro/Paul 4-1, 5-3
Andreeva/Rublev d. Shnaider/Ruud 4-1, 4-5, [10-5]
Semi-finals (upcoming)
Svitolina/Monfils vs. Bencic/Cobolli
Muchova/Mensik vs. Andreeva/Rublev
