Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz teamed up for the first time in mixed doubles at the US Open on Tuesday, drawing a packed crowd to Arthur Ashe Stadium before falling in the quarterfinals to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
According to tournament reports, Williams and Alcaraz fought through a shaky start earlier in the day to defeat Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 in their opening match. For Williams, the appearance marked her return to Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2022. Playing at 44 years old, Williams has repeatedly stated she has no intentions of returning to singles competition, though her latest outing sparked immediate speculation regarding a potential women’s doubles appearance alongside her older sister, Venus.
Rust and Recovery for Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz stepped onto the court wearing a white sleeve on his right arm, playing his first competitive match since April 14 due to a right wrist injury that forced him to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon. According to Alcaraz, the four-month layoff left him visibly rusty and nervous as he committed a double fault on the very first point of the match.
Williams carried the bulk of the workload during the opening set, winning 15 points to Alcaraz’s nine. As the match progressed, the 23-year-old Spaniard found his footing, executing the shot that secured their opening-match tiebreak before dominating the second set.
"I think that everybody could see it: I made a double fault on the first point," Alcaraz said, as reported by tournament coverage. "I was really very nervous. I was out for four months… I almost forgot what it feels like."
Quarterfinal Exit Against Bencic and Cobolli
"I don’t know how I ended up on this court playing against Carlos and Serena," Bencic said. "It was an honor to play against them."
Bencic and Cobolli advanced to face the pairing of Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina in the semifinals. The other semifinal bracket features Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev against Czechs Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, with a one-million-dollar prize purse on the line for the tournament winners.
Star-Studded Mixed Doubles Draw
The US Open mixed doubles showcase featured several singles icons utilizing the shortened-format tournament as preparation ahead of the main Grand Slam singles draws. Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka teamed up but fell in the super tiebreak to top-ranked doubles specialists Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten.
According to match summaries, Djokovic and Sabalenka secured the first set 4-1 before dropping the second 4-2 and losing the deciding super tiebreak 10-2. Sabalenka prepares to chase a third New York singles title following victories in 2024 and 2025, while Djokovic continues his pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam crown.
Roger Federer Bids Farewell in Exhibition
In a separate Tuesday evening event, five-time US Open champion Roger Federer returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium to participate in an exhibition match alongside American greats Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, and John McEnroe.
Federer, who officially retired from professional tennis at the 2022 Laver Cup, admitted to feeling the pressure of returning to the court after a lengthy absence. The 45-year-old Swiss legend clarified that the exhibition served purely as a chance to thank fans rather than a precursor to a professional comeback.
"To be honest, it’s stressful. I haven’t played a single set since, I think, Hurkacz at Wimbledon, that must be five years," Federer said. When asked about a potential return to the professional tour, Federer answered definitively: "No, no, no, not at all. Thanks for asking."