Alcaraz and Serena Williams exit US Open mixed doubles

Carlos Alcaraz’s return to competition ended in the US Open mixed doubles quarter-finals, leaving him several days to prepare for the defence of his singles title. Serena Williams also saw her mixed doubles campaign conclude, although she could still play alongside sister Venus in the women’s doubles.

The Spanish-American pairing first defeated Britain’s Lloyd Glasspool and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe, winning 5-3, 4-1 in the last 16. Their quarter-final followed less than two hours later, where Italy’s Flavio Cobolli and Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic prevailed 5-4, 4-1. Glasspool and Routliffe entered the tournament as established doubles players, ranked 17th and 14th in the world respectively, while Cobolli and Bencic are ranked sixth and 12th in singles.

The tournament marked Alcaraz’s first competitive appearance in about four and a half months. He had admitted feeling nervous at the start of his comeback, but completed two matches of just under an hour each before turning his attention back to singles training. The 2026 mixed doubles title will now be contested by pairs made up of singles specialists: Elina Svitolina and Gaël Monfils face Bencic and Cobolli, while Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik meet Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev.