Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open mixed doubles run came to an end in the quarter-finals after they were beaten by fourth seeds Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
Williams and Alcaraz had earlier delighted the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd by beating Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool in their opening match. The pair recovered from a slow start to win 5-3, 4-1.
The victory was particularly significant for Williams, who returned to competitive tennis at the age of 44, four years after her last US Open appearance in 2022. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion had come out of retirement this summer.
For Alcaraz, the match marked his return to competitive action after a wrist injury had kept him out since April. The Spaniard is the defending US Open men’s singles champion.
Moreso, their impressive run ended in the quarter-finals as Bencic and Cobolli won 5-4(4), 4-1 in 55 minutes. The fourth seeds handled the key moments better to book their place in the semi-finals.
US Open
Meanwhile, defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori were also knocked out in the first round. Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev defeated the two-time reigning champions 1-4, 4-1, [11-9] in the match tiebreak, ensuring there will be a new US Open mixed doubles champion this year.
