Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams saw their highly anticipated US Open mixed doubles partnership come to an end in the quarter-finals after losing to Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic in New York.
The star pairing had generated enormous attention before stepping onto Arthur Ashe Stadium, with seven-time major champion Alcaraz returning to competitive action after almost five months away because of a wrist injury.
Williams, meanwhile, made a surprise return to competitive tennis in New York after stepping away from the sport in 2022. The 44-year-old had not expected to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium again, making the occasion particularly significant for the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Their opening match produced the kind of atmosphere organisers had hoped for when the revamped US Open mixed doubles event was introduced.
Alcaraz and Williams received huge cheers from the crowd before defeating Great Britain’s Lloyd Glasspool and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe 5-3, 4-1. The pair quickly developed an entertaining partnership, regularly encouraging each other and celebrating points with smiles.
Alcaraz admitted that playing alongside Williams added to his nerves before the match, particularly because he had spent so long away from competitive tennis.
“I think everyone could see I was really nervous, I double-faulted on the first point,” Alcaraz said after the victory.
“I was out for almost five months and I almost forgot how it feels stepping out on the court once again.”
The Spaniard settled quickly, however, and credited Williams with helping him enjoy his return.
“It [took] just a couple of games [to settle] and she made it very easy for me to enjoy it and try to go for it,” he added.
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Alcaraz and Williams quickly found their rhythm
The partnership improved dramatically during their opening match, with the pair winning eight of the final nine games to secure a comfortable victory.
During a change of ends, Alcaraz summed up the experience with a smile, saying: “I’m playing next to the one and only Serena Williams, so what else can I do? Just enjoy and try to do the things she told me to do.”
Williams also embraced the occasion, admitting that she never expected to return to Arthur Ashe Stadium after ending her singles career.
“It’s always amazing to be here. I never expected to be back on this court,” Williams said.
“It was just a really cool moment. I never thought this would happen.”
Williams had plenty of history at the US Open, having won six of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles in New York. She had also previously won the mixed doubles title at the tournament alongside Max Mirnyi in 1998, five years before Alcaraz was born.
Her return therefore carried significant nostalgia, while Alcaraz used the competition as an opportunity to regain his match sharpness before beginning his singles campaign.
That preparation became more difficult in the quarter-finals.
Cobolli and Bencic end their run
Alcaraz and Williams were unable to reproduce the same level of momentum in their second match as Cobolli and Bencic secured a 5-4 (7-4), 4-1 victory.
The result ended one of the most talked-about partnerships of the tournament and sent the Italian-Swiss pairing into the semi-finals.
For Alcaraz, the defeat was less important than the opportunity to get competitive minutes under his belt ahead of the singles event.
The Spaniard had been sidelined since April because of a wrist injury and admitted before the tournament that he was still adjusting to the feeling of returning to competition.
His appearance also gave observers their first opportunity to assess his condition ahead of the US Open singles tournament, although the mixed doubles matches offered limited evidence about how he would perform over a best-of-five Grand Slam campaign.
Alcaraz wore a compression sleeve on his right arm during the matches, adding another point of interest as he continued his comeback.
The revamped mixed doubles competition was designed to create exactly this kind of crossover, bringing some of the biggest singles stars into competition alongside established doubles players.
The format was introduced in its current form last year, with the tournament taking place shortly before the singles event. Top-ranked singles players and selected wildcards received direct access to the main draw, while established doubles specialists had to negotiate qualifying.
The quarter-finals also produced several surprises. Men’s 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic and women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka were eliminated by Britain’s Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova, despite their status as one of the competition’s marquee pairings.
Patten and Siniakova subsequently lost to Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina, leaving no established doubles pair in the final four.
The remaining semi-finals therefore featured some of the tournament’s biggest singles names, with Cobolli and Bencic facing Monfils and Svitolina, while Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev prepared to meet Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik.
For Williams, the mixed doubles appearance provided an unexpected and memorable return to the US Open spotlight. For Alcaraz, it served a more practical purpose as he continued rebuilding his competitive rhythm after injury.
The Spaniard’s attention will now turn fully to the singles tournament, where the expectations will be considerably higher. After nearly five months away, his opening matches in New York will provide a much clearer indication of whether he is ready to challenge for another Grand Slam title.