The Czech duo of Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik won the $1 million US Open mixed doubles title on Wednesday night, defeating Belinda Bencic of Switzerland and Flavio Cobolli of Italy 6-3, 1-6, 10-6 in a deciding tiebreak at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The final, which finished just before midnight, capped a revamped event that drew strong crowds but saw all four doubles specialist teams eliminated by the quarter-finals.
A revamped event draws stars and criticism
The mixed doubles competition was reimagined last year to entice top singles players, moving the tournament to the week before singles play and raising the winners' prize from $200,000 to $1 million. The field was cut to 16, drawing outcry from doubles specialists kept out of the draw. The 2025 champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, were specialists, but some questioned whether the new event—with four-game sets until the final, no ad-scoring, and a 10-point tiebreak—should be categorized as a grand slam title.
This year, organizers adjusted the format to include an eight-team qualifying draw, allowing more specialists to enter. The field was headlined by Serena Williams, playing in New York for the first time since 2022, and Carlos Alcaraz, returning from a wrist injury. However, by Tuesday's end, the tournament had lost its highest-profile names—Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Alex Eala all made quick first-round exits—as well as all four doubles specialist teams.
Semi-finals deliver drama and momentum swings
In the first semi-final, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, who had never played doubles together before this week, faced Bencic and Cobolli. The pair, married since 2021 with a three-year-old daughter, won the first set in a tiebreak after Bencic's backhand hit her out-of-position partner and Cobolli double-faulted. In the second set, Cobolli recovered from a double fault to save triple break point, a turning point that helped them break Monfils and take the set. Bencic and Cobolli won 21 of the final 26 points as Monfils and Svitolina ran out of steam.
The second semi-final was more evenly matched. Behind the 6ft 5in Mensik's aggressive net play and Muchova's strong returns, the Czech duo won the first set in an 8-6 tiebreak, secured by a graceful backhanded volley from Muchova. Andreeva and Rublev took the second set, sending winners down the alleys. In the deciding tiebreak, Muchova and Mensik erased two match points and ran off the final four points, with Mensik's big serve proving crucial.
Final: A late-night thriller
The Czechs had just 17 minutes to recover before the final. They took the first set behind eight winners and Mensik's four aces, but Bencic and Cobolli grabbed momentum in the second set, breaking a wobbly Muchova to go up 4-1. Bencic's cross-court forehand in the seventh game sent the match to a tiebreak. Muchova and Mensik delivered clutch points on their final serves late in the tiebreak; Bencic and Cobolli netted three of four, and Mensik's seventh ace of the night on triple championship point won it.
The crowd had significantly thinned by the time the duo lifted their trophy, but the earlier turnout seemed proof the US Open has made itself a three-week event. Ashe was mostly full for Wednesday's semi-finals. The stadium had been packed a night earlier for exhibition matches honoring Roger Federer, featuring Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, and Federer himself before a crowd that included Williams, Eala, and Anna Wintour.
Focus shifts to singles
Throughout their mixed doubles run, the Czechs said their focus remained on the singles draw. Muchova, the world No 6, has reached two major finals and the semi-finals in New York; Mensik, enjoying a career-best season, will seek to advance past the third round here for the first time. Singles play begins Sunday. The road to another title on Ashe will be more difficult, but the pair—and the tournament's organizers—will surely see this week as a welcome prelude.
