Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz Face Routliffe, Glasspool in US Open Mixed

Serena Williams returns to New York for the first time since 2022 to partner with Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open mixed doubles tournament.

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz are scheduled to open the US Open mixed doubles tournament on Tuesday against the qualifying duo of Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool. This first-round match marks Williams’ first competitive appearance at the US Open since 2022. Routliffe and Glasspool secured their position in the 16-team main draw by winning two matches during Monday’s qualifying tournament, with both victories requiring match tiebreakers to decide the outcome. Routliffe enters the competition as the reigning US Open women’s doubles champion, having won the title in both 2023 and 2024, most recently alongside Gabriela Dabrowski after defeating Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.

Key details

Top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, who earned the number one ranking based on having the lowest combined singles ranking in the field, will face Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten on Tuesday. Siniakova and Patten currently hold the No. 1 individual doubles rankings on their respective professional tours. They advanced to the main draw by winning both of their matches in the eight-team qualifying bracket. Sabalenka and Djokovic were originally scheduled to play Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, but the matchup changed following Tiafoe's withdrawal on Monday. Tiafoe exited the mixed doubles draw after his loss to Arthur Fils in the Cincinnati Open final on Sunday.

The US Open mixed doubles tournament features a 16-team field where the first round and quarterfinals are contested on Tuesday, followed by the semifinals and final on Wednesday. The eight-team qualifying tournament was introduced this year to provide traditional doubles specialists a path to the title. This addition follows a tournament overhaul last year that implemented a $1 million prize for the winners. Under those revised rules, direct entry is primarily determined by singles rankings, a system that previously limited opportunities for players who focus exclusively on the doubles circuit.

Kristina Mladenovic and Marcelo Arevalo entered the main draw as a replacement team despite losing to Routliffe and Glasspool in their second qualifying match. They are now slated to play Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik. While Serena Williams is participating in the mixed doubles event, she does not plan to compete in the singles tournament in New York. Her partner, Carlos Alcaraz, is returning to action after being sidelined since April with an injury to his right wrist. Alcaraz intends to defend his US Open singles title during this year's championships while simultaneously competing in the mixed doubles bracket.

Latest developments

The qualifying bracket on Monday saw intense competition as teams fought for the final four spots in the main draw. Routliffe and Glasspool's path involved a 10-8 tiebreaker in their opening match against the American pair of Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski. Meanwhile, Siniakova and Patten dominated their final qualifying round with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Hsieh Su-wei and Jan Zielinski. The introduction of the qualifying round ensures that at least 25% of the main draw consists of players who earned their way through match play rather than ranking points alone.

Prize money for the mixed doubles event has seen a significant increase, with the winning pair set to split a $1,000,000 purse, the highest in the history of the discipline at any Grand Slam. Runners-up will receive $500,000, while semifinalists are guaranteed $250,000. This financial incentive was a primary driver for the high-profile singles players like Sabalenka and Djokovic to enter the draw. The tournament organizers have also adjusted the scheduling to ensure that mixed doubles matches do not conflict with the late-stage singles matches, allowing players to participate in both disciplines without physical exhaustion.

Tuesday's schedule at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will utilize three different show courts to accommodate the condensed mixed doubles bracket. The Williams-Alcaraz match is slated for Arthur Ashe Stadium following the conclusion of the afternoon singles session. Simultaneously, the top-seeded pair of Sabalenka and Djokovic will headline the night session on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The remaining quarterfinal matches will be distributed across the Grandstand and Court 17, ensuring all first-round and second-round matches are completed within a 24-hour window to maintain the tournament's aggressive three-day timeline.