Eala, Djokovic Clash in Doubles Draw at US Open 2026 | Tennis News
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The US Open is introducing a mixed doubles tournament for the second consecutive year, scheduled to take place during the opening week before the main event begins. This unique event blends traditional doubles specialists with top-tier singles superstars, creating an intriguing mix of talent levels. Unlike last year, this edition includes a qualifying round that starts tomorrow, adding another layer of excitement to the competition. The tournament will follow a fast-four format until the final, where proper scoring rules will apply for the championship match.
The main draw features several notable matchups, including the number one seeds Sabalenka and Jovic facing wild card entries Fernandez and Thafo in what promises to be an entertaining clash. Other significant pairings include Benic and Kabali taking on Townsend and Verv, with the winner potentially advancing to face Serena Williams and Alcaraz or another qualifier team. Additionally, Mukovici and Menic will compete against a qualifier, while Navaro and Hall, a strong combination, are set to challenge the number three seeds Anisimo and Tienne, who previously played together in exhibition matches earlier in the season.
A significant portion of the draw involves players partnering with teammates they were originally not scheduled to play with due to withdrawals. For instance, Rude is teaming up with Schneider after Shiononte pulled out, while Fritz and Pagoula are playing with different partners than initially planned, as Fritz was meant to be with Rebecca and Pagoula with Draper. These unexpected combinations add an element of unpredictability to the tournament, making it difficult to forecast outcomes based on past performances alone. The defending champions, Arani and Barbasori, will also be in action against Andrea Ruplev, adding another layer of prestige to the event.
As the tournament unfolds over a couple of days, fans will have the opportunity to witness how these mixed teams perform under pressure, particularly with high-profile names like Serena Williams and Alcaraz leading the charge. The event aims to showcase doubles-only teams similar to Vavasauri and Orani from last year, who demonstrated exceptional skill against singles players. With qualifying rounds starting tomorrow and the finals concluding on the last day of the opening week, this mixed doubles tournament promises to be a fun and engaging spectacle that highlights both individual talent and team dynamics in the world of tennis.
Read the full video transcript
All right, so the second year in a row
the US Open are doing a mixed doubles
tournament before the main event starts
and that's going to be in a week's time.
So they're doing this mixed doubles
tournament. It's it's sort of a weird
like mix between you know doubles
players and then all the single
superstars. Let's go have a look at the
draw though cuz the draw has just
dropped and there's also qualifying for
this tournament as well which was
different from last year. All right, so
here is the main draw of the tournament.
You got Sabalink Jovovich number one
seeds. They're going to take on
Fernandez and Thafo who are coming in as
a wild card. So that's going to be a fun
matchup. Then you've got Fedilina and
Mfi taking on Yala and Oali Asim and
they'll take on the winners of that
Jovoic Sabalena match up. Then you got
the number four seeds Benic Kabali
taking on Townsend Verv. Winner of that
will take on either Serena Williams and
Alcarez versus a qualifier team which we
don't know yet who that's going to be.
Then you got Mukovit and Menic taking on
another qualifier team. Winner of that
match will take on either Navaro Hall
who are a good combo. They're taking on
the number three seeds Anisimo and
Tienne which is an interesting combo.
They did play earlier in the season in
mixed doubles and in exhibition. So
that'll be fun. And then the last couple
of matchups, you've got Andrea Ruplev.
They're going to take on Arani and
Barbasori, the defending champions. And
the winner of that match will take on
either Schneider and Rude. Rude's
teameding up with Schneider, who was
supposed to be with Mev, and Rude was
supposed to be with Shiononte, but
Shante pulled out. And they're going to
take on Pagoula and Fritz, the number
two seeds. Fritz was supposed to be with
Rebecca, and Pagoula was supposed to be
with Draper. So those are four players
there that are playing with different
partners than they were supposed to. So
yeah, it's going to be really
interesting to see those matchups and I
think it is fast four format. So it's
first to four, it's abbreviated game
until the final, then they play a mixed
doubles final, you know, with the proper
scoring. So yeah, it's going to be
really interesting to see how this plays
out. It will be playing out over a
couple of days, you know, of the of the
first week or the opening week. That's
it. There is the draw for this
tournament. And it does start tomorrow.
So they got the qualies tomorrow and
then I think it's like first, second
rounds and then then the finals on on
the last day. So yeah, it's a it's a
it's a fun event. Hopefully some of
these doubles teams kind of come out
there and showed themselves to the world
like we saw with Vavasauri Orani last
year. Remember they were the only team
that was like a proper doubles only team
and and they showed everybody how it's
done and they kind of schooled the
singles players. But we're going to have
some fun match ups. Of course, Serena
and Alcra is going to be the big team
that everybody's going to be focusing
on. Obviously, a lot of fans are keen to
see how she does as well. So, yeah,
we'll watch it over the next few days
and we'll see what happens. But there it
is. That is the doubles, the mixed
doubles draw and it starts tomorrow.
That's