The U.S. Open mixed doubles field rounded into form Monday, as the U.S. Tennis Association handed five wild card entries to a handful of the biggest names in the sport — and the defending champions.
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who taught a roster of singles stars a lesson in doubles acumen to win $1 million last year, have been granted the golden ticket they needed to defend their title, because direct entry was calculated by singles ranking. French Open champion Alexander Zverev, home favorites Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Townsend and rising star Alex Eala are all part of four more pairs granted a wild card. The full list of main-draw wild cards released Monday is:
Alex Eala and Félix Auger-Aliassime
Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe
Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev
Elina Svitolina and Gaël Monfils
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori
The tournament is holding back three wild-card entries, one of which will likely go to Serena Williams and whomever she decides to partner — if the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, who has 16 more in doubles, decides ahead of the start of the tournament that she is fit enough to play.
Those eight will join the six teams who enter the main draw directly: Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic; Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz; Diana Shnaider and Daniil Medvedev; Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud; Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli and Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien.
The final two spots in the main draw will be occupied by the two teams that come through a qualifying competition. That competition will feature eight teams: two yet-to-be-announced wild cards and six direct entries, largely composed of doubles stars including world No. 1s Henry Patten and Kateřina Siniaková:
Kateřina Siniaková and Henry Patten
Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliövaara
Luisa Stefani and Neal Skupski
Aleksandra Krunić and Mate Pavić
Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arévalo
Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool
The field allows for a number of singles vs. doubles showdowns in the early rounds of the main draw, which have more teeth in the context of planned reforms to the discipline on the men’s tour. Patten has been outspoken of his criticism of plans to shrink draws and prize money, including inviting singles stars to beat doubles players at their own game. The ATP Tour said that plans to rework the men’s doubles tour remain under consideration.
The candidates for the three remaining main-draw wild cards are many and include some of the biggest stars in tennis, some of whom have doubts over their participation. Defending men’s singles champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is still rehabbing a wrist injury, and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, are both absent. Home favorite Jessica Pegula planned to team up with Jack Draper, but the Brit is still managing a chronic arm injury.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka intends to play with her countryman, Kei Nishikori. Newlyweds Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter are planning to form a team. Seven-time major singles champion Venus Williams, who could play doubles with Serena in the women’s event, was on the most recent entry list alongside the mercurial Alexander Bublik.
In some ways, the USTA is at the mercy of the health and success of a handful of top-20 singles players, who may advance deep into the ongoing Cincinnati Open and therefore have a decision to make about playing mixed doubles qualification a matter of days after exiting — or even winning — that event.
The tournament begins begins Monday Aug. 24, with the eight-team qualifying competition. The main draw will take place in Aug. 25 and 26. The Cincinnati Open women’s singles final is Saturday Aug. 22; the men’s final is Sunday Aug. 23.
Teams will play best-of-three sets to four games until the final, with a 10-point tiebreak instead of a third set. In the final, the sets will stretch to the regulation six games, with a 10-point tiebreak instead of a third set. No-ad scoring will be used throughout the tournament.
For now, the main intrigue is who will fill the vacant slots at what has become the cornerstone of the U.S. Open’s curtain-raiser.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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