Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz Draw Qualifier in 16-Team U.S. Open Field

Serena Williams returns to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2022, pairing with Carlos Alcaraz in a 16-team mixed doubles bracket featuring a $1 million prize.

NEW YORK -- Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz will face a team from Monday’s eight-team qualifying tournament to open the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship. The pairing, awarded a wild card on Saturday, joins a 16-team bracket where the winning duo shares a $1 million prize. Williams, a six-time singles champion at this event, makes her first competitive appearance at Flushing Meadows since 2022 alongside Alcaraz, who holds two men’s singles titles.

The tournament schedule dictates that both the first round and quarterfinals will take place on Tuesday. The semifinals and the final match are slated for Wednesday. The United States Tennis Association revamped the entry process this year, basing direct entry on singles rankings to increase star power, a shift from the previous year when doubles specialists were largely excluded. To accommodate those specialists, officials added the Monday qualifying tournament to the 2026 schedule.

Seeded Pairings and Top Bracket Matchups

Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending women’s singles champion, and Novak Djokovic, owner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, secured the No. 1 seed. Their top billing resulted from having the lowest combined singles ranking in the field. They are scheduled to play Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe in the opening round.

Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz occupy the No. 2 seed position. They will compete against the duo of Diana Shnaider and Casper Ruud. The pairing of Ruud and Shnaider formed after Iga Swiatek, Ruud’s partner during their 2025 final run, withdrew from the competition. Shnaider also required a new partner following the withdrawal of Daniil Medvedev.

Full First-Round Tournament Draw

Several high-profile pairings round out the 16-team field. Married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils will play Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Another matchup features Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli taking on Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev.

Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who have won the title two years in a row, begin their campaign against Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev. Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik are set to face the second team that emerges from Monday's qualifying rounds.

Additional Mixed Doubles Contenders

Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul will face the team of Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien. The inclusion of qualifiers addresses concerns from the previous season, ensuring doubles specialists have a pathway to compete against the singles-heavy entries favored by the USTA's new ranking-based entry system.

Williams and Alcaraz must wait until the conclusion of Monday's eight-team qualifying event to identify their specific opponents for Tuesday's start. The USTA’s strategic shift to prioritize singles rankings for direct entry has resulted in a field featuring multiple Grand Slam champions, including Djokovic, Sabalenka, and Williams, all competing for the seven-figure winner's purse.