logo
Venus Williams and Amanda Anisimova are among the players added to the US Open mixed doubles list

Venus Williams and Amanda Anisimova are among the players added to the US Open mixed doubles list

Venus Williams is paired with Reilly Opelka, and Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova is joined by Holger Rune on Monday's updated list of teams that have signed up to try to enter the newfangled U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament next month.
A total of 25 duos are on the latest entry list released by the U.S. Tennis Association. Only 16 will make the field for the Aug. 19-20 competition that
will pay the winning team $1 million
.
The deadline for entries is a week away. That's when the eight duos with the highest combined singles rankings will gain official acceptance for the event.
The USTA will select the other eight teams and give them wild-card invitations.
The mixed doubles was moved to the week before the start of competition in the singles brackets. Singles matches begin on Aug. 24.
In addition to Williams — a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion who is 45 and entered the tournament in Washington this week for her first competition in more than a year — with Opelka, and Anisimova with Rune, other new teammates announced Monday include Katie Boulter and Alex De Minaur, who are engaged to be married; Donna Vekic and Hubert Hurkacz; Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev; Iva Jovic and
Jenson Brooksby
; Gaby Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime; Demi Schuurs and Tallon Griekspoor; Katerina Siniakova and Marcelo Arevalo; Desirae Krawczyk and Evan King; and Su-Wei Hsieh and Jan Zielinski.
The original group of potential participants was released last month and included Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz; Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner; Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud; Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti; Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz; Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev; Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev; Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe; Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul; Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov; Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic; Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios; Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton; and last year's U.S. Open mixed doubles champions,
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori
.
It's a star-studded cast that is quite different from the mix of doubles specialists usually found in a Grand Slam mixed doubles bracket. Some criticized the changes when they were announced in February, with Errani and Vavassori calling the new format a 'pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show' that would shut out true doubles players.
___
AP tennis:
https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

CC Sabathia's Hall of Fame induction reminder of enduring impact on Yankees culture
CC Sabathia's Hall of Fame induction reminder of enduring impact on Yankees culture

New York Post

time14 minutes ago

  • New York Post

CC Sabathia's Hall of Fame induction reminder of enduring impact on Yankees culture

COOPERSTOWN — When Brian Cashman recruited CC Sabathia to play in New York prior to the 2009 season, he knew it would take more than just the promise of trying to win and a giant contract. 'I told him and Amber [Sabathia's wife] we would make them comfortable in New York,'' Cashman said Sunday, just prior to Sabathia's induction speech. 'I looked him in the eye — and threw a ton of money at him — but I knew he wasn't sure about playing in New York. I think we both fulfilled our promise. He became a Hall of Fame pitcher and he and his family were just fine in New York. We both fulfilled our promise.' If Sabathia's speech Sunday was any indication, Cashman's approach was the right one, since the big lefty spent nearly his entire 12-minute speech thanking the women in his life, from his wife to his mother Margie, both of whom were in attendance, to his grandmother and many aunts. While Sabathia noted that he'd shown his appreciation for his father Corky, who died early in Sabathia's career, he went out of his way to tell stories about people he believed may have been overshadowed. 6 CC Sabathia looking at his Hall of Fame Plaque during the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown, New York on July 27. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post From throwing grapefruits in his grandmother's backyard as a youngster, which is where Sabathia said he first 'realized I could throw hard,' Sabathia consistently brought up 'the village of women who raised me … and a few times literally saved me.' It was his mother, Sabathia said, who taught him to become a fan of the game and brought the native of Vallejo, Calif., to A's games at the Oakland Coliseum, where Sabathia watched the 1989 World Series-winning team that included fellow Hall of Fame inductee Dave Parker, who died just a month before the ceremony. His father helped teach Sabathia the game, but Margie was a significant part of his growth, as well. 'My mom loved the game, too,'' Sabathia said. 'She'd put the catching gear on and catch me in the backyard. My mom is the reason I'm a baseball fan. And fans turn into players who sometimes turn into Hall of Famers.' 6 CC Sabathia speaking during the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown, New York. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 6 CC Sabathia's plaque that will hang in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Sabathia's path to Cooperstown began in Cleveland, where he spent the first eight-plus seasons of his career after being a first-round pick of the organization in 1998. And he solidified his status as an ace in 2008, after being traded to Milwaukee, where he consistently pitched on short rest to lead the Brewers to the postseason — even with free agency approaching. But it was in The Bronx where Sabathia cemented his Hall of Fame credentials, pitching the final 11 seasons of his career and leading the Yankees to the 2009 World Series title. 6 CC Sabathia posing for a photo after the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 'We had a very high assessment of him as a pitcher and that was obviously met, even before he was a Hall of Famer,'' Cashman said. Cashman credited Sabathia for changing the culture of the team at the time. 'I thought we had, in some ways, a broken clubhouse, and he had a reputation as a connector,'' Cashman said. 'He made a fantastic impact.' That impact continues today, with his former teammates still citing Sabathia as an example for how they play. 6 Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia throws a pitch during a game against the Rangers on Oct. 20, 2010. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post 6 CC Sabathia reacts after getting out of trouble in the 6th inning in an ALCS game against the Rangers in 2010. Neil Miller Prior to his IL stint, Aaron Judge said Sabathia's performance in 2019, when he pitched out of the bullpen in the postseason until his shoulder gave out, is a reason why he puts his body at risk in the outfield. 'Watching him go out there hurt and then basically throw until his arm came off, you can't help but be motivated by that,'' Judge said of Sabathia, who entered Game 4 of the ALCS against the Astros while pitching with left shoulder soreness and walked off the mound with a subluxation of his left shoulder. 'That last run was a great example,'' Judge said. 'He threw literally until he couldn't throw anymore. I'll never forget that. We didn't finish it that year, but he knew if we were gonna get there, it was gonna take all of your body and soul.' And on Sunday, it landed Sabathia in the Hall of Fame.

Toronto top seed Zverev got expert insight from retired rival Rafa
Toronto top seed Zverev got expert insight from retired rival Rafa

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Toronto top seed Zverev got expert insight from retired rival Rafa

Alexander Zverev returns to tennis with his confidence under repair after losing in the Wimbledon first round a month ago. And the world number three, playing as top seed at the ATP Toronto Masters, is bolstered by the unique insight from one-time rival Rafael Nadal. Zverev confirmed on Sunday in Toronto that he had sought advice -- and possibly a new coach -- as he travelled to Mallorca this month to visit Nadal's training academy on the Spaniard's home island. While apparently failing to sign Nadal's uncle Toni as his travelling coach, Zverev did have a chance to chat with Nadal, who retired last season. "(Toni is) a great coach, no question about that, but he's a personality that I think can give you confidence as well," the German said. "When he speaks and when Rafa speaks, you listen. "They definitely spent a lot of hours talking to me, and Rafa gave me some great insight of what it is actually like to play against me. "He saw me as a player. He sees me now as a spectator. It was very helpful. We spent hours and hours talking, sometimes past midnight at some dinners. It was great to be there." Zverev, a 2017 titleholder in Canada who has always been coached by his father, said that after his 10-day visit to Spain he is still trying to persuade Toni to come join his coaching team. "I'm trying to convince him to do more weeks with me, and we'll see how it goes, but he's a very busy man," Zverev said. "I'm not sure how much of him you'll see this year, because he gave his word to a lot of events. But we're talking about what a potential partnership could look like, for sure." Zverev said the situation will be clearer "in a few weeks." The elder Nadal has previously worked with Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime after guiding his iconic nephew for much of his career. str/js

Leylah Fernandez's biggest tennis title at the DC Open was fueled by Shake Shack
Leylah Fernandez's biggest tennis title at the DC Open was fueled by Shake Shack

Hamilton Spectator

time3 hours ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Leylah Fernandez's biggest tennis title at the DC Open was fueled by Shake Shack

WASHINGTON (AP) — The biggest tennis title of Leylah Fernandez's career arrived at the D.C. Open on Sunday with the help of a terrific backhand, some superb returning — and energy courtesy of Shake Shack's burgers and fries. The left-handed Fernandez , a 22-year-old from Canada who is ranked 36th, wrapped up a big week of tight matches with a lopsided victory, defeating Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in the final. Fernandez earned her fourth singles trophy — all have come at hard-court tournaments — and first at a WTA 500 event. She came quite close to a Grand Slam championship as a teenager at the 2021 U.S. Open , making it all the way to the final in New York before losing to Emma Raducanu. There almost was a rematch in Washington, but Kalinskaya eliminated Raducanu in the semifinals Saturday. The men's final later Sunday was No. 7 seed Alex de Minaur against No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Fernandez took quite a journey through the bracket. She needed 2 hours, 19 minutes to oust No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula — last year's U.S. Open runner-up — in three sets in the second round, then 2 hours, 20 minutes to beat Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinals, and 3 hours, 12 minutes for a three-tiebreaker victory over No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina — the 2022 Wimbledon champion — in the semifinals. After each of the last two, Fernandez and her father — who is also her coach — opted for Shake Shack. 'We got burgers, hot dog, cheese fries — everything that an athlete should not eat before a match, but it did the trick,' Fernandez said about what she ate after the Townsend match. 'It gave me the right nutrients to recover from the cramps and get ready for the next round.' Following the Rybakina marathon, Fernandez said she and her father 'were messaging, and I was, like, 'OK, what do you want to eat tonight?' We both answered at the same time: burgers. ... That was kind of my diet for the whole week.' Sure worked: This was the first title for Fernandez since October 2023 at the Hong Kong Open. Plus, she arrived in Washington with a losing record this season and hadn't won more than two matches at the same tournament since last November. 'I have gone through so many different challenges this week. It just has made me stronger, in a way, that if I can get through this week — through the cramps, through the long matches, through the heat, the humidity — I can get through anything,' Fernandez said. 'So I was just very happy that I got to not only push myself physically through the limits, but also mentally. So that kind of will help me hopefully for future tournaments.' Against the 48th-ranked Kalinskaya, who hadn't dropped a set until Sunday, Fernandez saved the only break point she faced while breaking four times. One key: Fernandez claimed 10 of the 12 points when Kalinskaya hit a second serve. Another: Kalinskaya — a 26-year-old Russian who is 0-3 in tour finals — finished with 24 unforced errors and just nine winners. 'Amazing fight this week,' Kalinskaya told Fernandez. 'You truly deserve it.' ___ AP tennis:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store