A Historic Partnership Takes Shape
Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz have been officially confirmed as mixed doubles partners at the 2026 US Open, receiving a wildcard entry into the main draw. The pairing brings together a combined 44 Grand Slam titles across singles and doubles, making them arguably the most decorated partnership in the field.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, returned to professional tennis in June after four years away from the sport. She has played a handful of doubles matches since her comeback and made a singles return at Wimbledon, where she fell to Maya Joint in three sets. Most recently, she and sister Venus lost a doubles match together at the Cincinnati Open, her first outing after suffering a knee injury at Wimbledon.
Alcaraz, a seven-time major winner, has been sidelined for more than four months due to a wrist injury, making this US Open mixed doubles event a significant return to competitive action for the Spaniard.
A Star-Studded Revamped Format
The US Open mixed doubles underwent a controversial overhaul last year, prioritizing singles stars over traditional doubles specialists and introducing a shorter scoring system. Sets now require only four games to win in earlier rounds, with no advantage scoring and 10-point match tiebreaks replacing third sets throughout.
Other headline pairings include Aryna Sabalenka alongside 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, American duo Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, and Iga Swiatek paired with Casper Ruud. Elina Svitolina and husband Gael Monfils will compete together in what is billed as Monfils's final Grand Slam before retirement.
Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, the lone doubles-specialist pair to receive a wildcard, famously criticized the format last year before winning the title and collecting one million dollars in prize money. TennisDraw users tracking the bracket will want to keep a close eye on the Williams and Alcaraz pairing as a potential crowd favorite to go deep.
