Bencic and Cobolli eliminate Zverev and Alcaraz pairings at US Open mixed doubles
Belinda Bencic and Fabio Cobolli knocked out Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz with their respective partners from the US Open mixed doubles, as Alcaraz completed his return from injury.
Bencic and Cobolli defeat Zverev and Alcaraz pairings
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland and Fabio Cobolli of Italy eliminated two high-profile teams from the US Open mixed doubles tournament in New York. In the opening round, Bencic and Cobolli defeated Germany's Alexander Zverev and American Taylor Townsend 4-2, 4-2 in a 49-minute contest. The defeat marked the second consecutive year that the 29-year-old Zverev exited the mixed doubles competition in the first round, having played alongside Bencic during the 2025 tournament.
Bencic and Cobolli then advanced to face Spain's Carlos Alcaraz and 44-year-old American Serena Williams in the quarter-finals. Alcaraz and Williams, who entered the competition on a wildcard, were stopped after 55 minutes by Bencic and Cobolli in a 5-4 (7-4), 4-1 defeat.
Alcaraz completes return following four-month injury layoff
The mixed doubles event served as the competitive return for Alcaraz, the world number three and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion. The Spaniard had been out of action for four months after sustaining a wrist injury at the ATP tournament in Barcelona in mid-April, which forced him to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon. In their opening round, Alcaraz and Williams overcame an initial test to defeat New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Great Britain's Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1.
Alcaraz is entered in the men's singles event at Flushing Meadows as the defending champion. The tournament represents his first competitive action since the spring clay-court season.
- Bencic and Cobolli advance with a 4-2, 4-2 win in 49 minutes
- Alcaraz and Williams advance with a 5-3, 4-1 victory
- Bencic and Cobolli win 5-4, 4-1 in 55 minutes to reach the semi-finals
- Four all-singles teams contest the remaining tournament rounds
Singles stars dominate semi-finals amid format controversy
The US Open mixed doubles event is being staged for the second year under an altered format featuring shortened sets and scheduled prior to the start of the main singles draw. The winning pair will receive a prize of 1 million US dollars (860,000 euros). Following the quarter-finals, all doubles specialists have been eliminated, guaranteeing that the title will be won by primary singles competitors. The four semi-final teams are Bencic and Cobolli, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils of Ukraine and France, Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, and Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev.
The format has drawn criticism from regular doubles competitors who argue that the entry process favors high-profile singles players over tour specialists. In 2025, the tournament was won by the dedicated Italian doubles pair of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. In response to competitor feedback, organizers added a qualifying tournament this year offering four spots in the main draw. Laura Siegemund, the 2016 US Open mixed champion, previously stated that the format degraded a serious competition into a short exhibition. French player Alizé Cornet criticized the exclusion of tour regulars.
who dedicate themselves to this discipline. That is their livelihood all year round, and they work hard for it. That is unfair
Singles competition approaches at Flushing Meadows
The next rounds of the mixed doubles tournament are scheduled for Wednesday night. The main singles competitions begin on Sunday, where Zverev enters as the number one seed following the withdrawal of world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy. Zverev, who won the French Open and finished as runner-up at Wimbledon, is placed on the opposite side of the draw from second-seeded Alcaraz, preventing a meeting between the two prior to the final.
