This year’s U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament will be unlike any previous iteration of the event.
Instead of taking place during the third week of the Grand Slam, tournament organizers moved it to the week before the main singles draw starts to allow top singles stars to compete. Two months ahead of the tournament, the U.S. Open announced its superstar line-up of teams, including Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend, Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul, Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoeand more.
“The Mixed Doubles Championship is going to be one of the main attractions of the U.S. Open this year,” Stacey Allaster, the U.S. Open Tournament Director, tells Town & Country. “It’s going to be fast-paced. It’s going to be competitive. It’s going to be fun. These are the best men’s and women’s players in the world competing together in a Grand Slam Championship event that we cannot wait for our fans and the world to see.”
The new format is a dramatic shift from previous versions of the mixed doubles competition. In addition to the new place in the schedule and a new scoring system (best-of-three-set matches to four games, no-ad scoring, tiebreaks at 4-4, and a 10-point tiebreak instead of a third set), it will be a much smaller field. In the two day championship on August 19 and 20, sixteen teams will compete—including eight teams based on combined singles ranking and eight wild-card entries. The defending champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, will not be competing, nor will other doubles specialists—instead, the new event prioritizes singles players. The prize money will also significantly increase: The winning team will earn $1 million.
“We wanted to find a way to showcase the world’s best men and women competing with and against one another, and we were confident that we would be able to get the top players in the game excited about this unique opportunity,” Lew Sherr, CEO and Executive Director, USTA, said in a statement this morning. “Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited. It shows that the players are behind what we are trying to do, and we know that the fans will love it.”
The full entry list is as follows (listed in order of combined singles ranking):
- Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner
- Qinwen Zheng and Jack Draper
- Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul
- Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti
- Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz
- Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev
- Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe
- Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov
- Iga Swits and Casper Rud
- Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Emma
- Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev
- Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic
- Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton
- Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori
- Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios
“Mixed doubles is always a great challenge, and I’ve had some amazing experiences with it over the years, from the Olympics to the United Cup, and even the USO Mixed Madness last year. I’m definitely looking forward to the chance to compete for a Grand Slam title in the future,” Taylor Fritz said when the new format was announced. Pegula added, “As a player who enjoys competing in doubles, I’m excited for the opportunity to play the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship during the first week. I appreciate the importance of innovation and exploring new ways to engage more fans and grow our sport.”
All matches will be played in Arthur Ashe Stadium or Louis Armstrong Stadium, and will air on ESPN2 and stream on ESPN+.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
