Muchova and Mensik Secure US Open Mixed Doubles Title in 10-6 Tiebreaker

Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik shared a $1 million prize after defeating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6 (10-6) in the final.

Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik captured the US Open mixed doubles title on Wednesday night by defeating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli with a scoreline of 6-3, 1-6 (10-6). The Czech pair secured a $1 million prize to share after Mensik ended the championship match with an ace. This final, held at Arthur Ashe Stadium, was the only contest of the two-day tournament to utilize standard six-game sets; all previous rounds featured sets played to four games with tiebreakers at 4-all.

The victory followed a dramatic semifinal earlier that evening where Muchova and Mensik edged out Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev 5-4 (6), 3-5 (11-9). During that match tiebreaker, the Czech duo trailed 7-5 after Muchova missed a volley and threw her racket in frustration. However, they erased two match points and won the final four points of the set to advance. Mensik, a French Open semifinalist who turns 21 next week, utilized a powerful serve to navigate the team through consecutive match tiebreakers on the second night of the event.

Path to the Championship Final

Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli reached the final after ending the run of married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in the first semifinal. That match concluded 4-5 (7), 4-1 (10-5) in favor of Bencic and Cobolli. Before facing the eventual champions, Bencic and Cobolli had also eliminated the high-profile pairing of Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz during Tuesday's quarterfinal round.

In their semifinal victory, Bencic and Cobolli trailed early after Cobolli double-faulted to lose a first-set tiebreaker. The opening set saw Svitolina and Monfils blow a 4-0 lead before recovering to face two set points. A pivotal moment occurred at 8-7 in the tiebreaker when Bencic attempted a cross-court backhand that struck her partner, Cobolli, who had moved into the middle of the court. Cobolli recovered in the second set, hitting consecutive volley winners to break Svitolina’s serve for a 2-1 lead. The subsequent match tiebreaker was leveled at 2-2 before Svitolina missed three consecutive shots wide, allowing Bencic and Cobolli to pull away.

Tournament Format and Star Departures

This event marked the second year of a revised US Open mixed doubles format, which moved the competition to the week preceding the singles main draw. The United States Tennis Association implemented the change to attract top-tier singles talent. While the field included major names, many were eliminated in the opening round, including Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, and the duo of Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The late schedule contributed to several empty seats in the stadium, as the final did not begin until nearly 11 p.m. EDT following two semifinals that both required match tiebreakers. None of the four teams that reached the semifinals contained doubles specialists. This left an opportunity for Andrey Rublev, who has a career record of 0-10 in Grand Slam singles quarterfinals, to pursue a major title before falling in the penultimate round.

Coordination and Career Milestones

Muchova and Mensik competed in matching outfits consisting of pink tops and maroon bottoms. The wardrobe choice was finalized via text message from Mensik to Muchova on the eve of the tournament. Muchova credited the coordinated look for their success, stating, "I think at the end, really the matching outfit made the difference for us."

The tournament served as the final Grand Slam appearance for Gael Monfils, who turns 40 on Sept. 1. Monfils and Svitolina, married since 2021, accepted a wild card to compete together for the first time. Despite their semifinal exit, they managed to win the longest tiebreaker of the tournament in their opening set against Bencic and Cobolli. Muchova, the Wimbledon women's runner-up, and Mensik relied on the latter's net play and serving consistency to remain undefeated through the shortened bracket.