Kristina Mladenovic earns US Open mixed doubles place

Kristina Mladenovic will feature in the US Open mixed doubles main draw despite her qualifying exit. The Frenchwoman and Marcelo Arevalo were given a place after the withdrawal of Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe created an additional opening in the tournament field.

Mladenovic and Arevalo started their qualifying campaign with a notable win over second seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliovaara. They recovered from losing the opening set to prevail 2-4, 4-1, 10-8 in 50 minutes. Their run then ended against Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool, who won 5-4 (4), 2-4, 11-9 after one hour and 15 minutes. Routliffe and Glasspool also secured a place in the main draw.

The late reshuffle changed the first-round line-up. Mladenovic and Arevalo will meet Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, while Routliffe and Glasspool have been drawn against Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz. Williams and Alcaraz received a wild card for the event. Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten, the top-seeded pair in qualifying, also moved into the main draw and will face top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic after taking the place left by Fernandez and Tiafoe.

France will have another mixed doubles entry through Gael Monfils, who is partnering his wife, Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina. That pair received an invitation. Mladenovic’s inclusion means she remains part of a tournament that initially appeared to have ended for her after the qualifying defeat, and she will now return to the court alongside Arevalo against Muchova and Mensik.