Emma Raducanu links up with Carlos Alcaraz in new blockbuster partnership
Emma Raducanu will partner Carlos Alcaraz for the revamped mixed doubles tournament at the US Open later this year, with the duo both having won singles titles in New York
Emma Raducanu will link up with Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster partnership for the US Open mixed doubles. The event has been revamped in a bid to draw in the crowds and has been moved to the week before the main singles draw gets underway.
An unprecedented list of star names have signed up for the tournament. It includes nine of the world's Top 10 men and nine of the world's Top 10 women, with £739,500 at stake for the winners.
The competition will take place during US Open Fan Week from 19 August at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. In total, 16 teams have entered as of the time of writing.
The entry window will close on 28 July. At that point, the top eight teams with the best combined singles ranking at the time will officially be in the field/draw via direct acceptance. The remaining eight teams will be determined via wild card.
Headlining the field is Raducanu, who won the women's singles title in Flushing Meadows in 2021, and her partnership with Alcaraz, who has won five Grand Slams, including the 2022 men's US Open and the French Open earlier this month.
Raducanu has previously spoken of her admiration for Alcaraz's free-flowing game and was in the crowd to watch the Spaniard beat Novak Djokovic in last year's Wimbledon final, his second win in London.
"The last couple matches I've been following Carlos, and it's just good to watch before my match," she said. "And sometimes in certain moments you in a way try to emulate certain shots."
Raducanu's last outing in a high-profile mixed doubles partnership drew controversy as she agreed to play with Andy Murray during his final Wimbledon. But she pulled out before their first match, citing a wrist injury.
British men's No.1 Jack Draper will also feature in the event, being partnered with Chinese star Qinwen Zheng. Elsewhere, Nick Kyrgios is set to team up with Naomi Osaka, while world No.1 Jannik Sinner partners Emma Navarro.
There are also three All-American pairs: Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul; Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton; Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys, and last year's mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster has been left delighted with the calibre of the entrants. She said: "The US Open has long strived to find innovative and new ways to make the game more accessible and entertaining for our fans.
'We believe that this reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Championship will do exactly that, with the top men and women players in tennis competing side-by-side in a fast-paced, highly competitive format.
"Being able to move this event to a place on the schedule where it is able to take center stage was very important, and with our broadcast partners fully bought-in, more fans than ever before, both in the U.S. and around the globe, will be able to enjoy this incredible competition."
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