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1h ago

USTA Confirms Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz as US Open Mixed Doubles Wild-Card Pair

The late wild-card unites two marquee singles stars to give Alcaraz a match test before singles play and to raise fan and broadcast interest.

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Aug 17, 2026; Mason, OH, USA; Serena Williams of the United States returns a shot against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine and Peyton Stearns of the United States in their doubles match during the Cincinnati Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
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Overview

  • The U.S. Tennis Association announced Saturday that Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz received one of the final wild-card spots into the US Open mixed doubles main draw.
  • The retooled mixed doubles will use the Fan Week short-set format with an eight-team qualifying event that begins Monday and main-draw play set for Aug. 25–26 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
  • Williams returns to Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2022 and brings a deep mixed-doubles pedigree, including a 1998 US Open mixed doubles title and limited doubles play since her summer comeback.
  • Alcaraz confirmed his return to competition after a multi-month right wrist layoff and will use mixed doubles as an early on-court fitness and match-readiness test before defending his singles title.
  • The pairing underscores the USTA’s push to spotlight singles stars in the shortened mixed-doubles format to drive ticket sales and TV interest while also providing practical match reps for the players.