Game, Set, Match: Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka crash out

New York Times

14 hours ago

Follow live from today's U.S. Open mixed doubles action as Jannik Sinner pulls out of event Getty Images Getty Images
Williams/Opelka 2-4, 4-5(4) Muchová/Rublev
That's it!
Eventually the ball crashes into the net and Andrey Rublev/Karolina Muchová are victorious.
Venus Williams and the smiling, bearded Reilly Opelka wave as they walk off, getting a pleasant reception.
Muchová/Rublev have to recover quickly. Their next match is coming up pretty soon.
Williams/Opelka 2-4, 4-4(4-6)* Muchová/Rublev
Haha, that's a funny moment. Rublev comes into the net to volley it away dismissively and he celebrates thinking he's won it!
One more point to go, Andrey...
Williams/Opelka 2-4, 4-4(2-4)* Muchová/Rublev
Oh, that's wonderful.
Williams goes hard at Muchová, who goes cross-court then when it's fired at her again works it at an ever finer angle. Williams does well to flip it up hopefully but Rublev smashes away and that's 4-2.
Mini-break is erased though as Opelka absolutely creams a forehand down the line. 4-4, then 4-5 as Venus Williams loses a point on the Opelka serve as a high backhand volley slips down into the net.
Two serves for Andrey Rublev now, this could be the match right here... Getty Images
Williams/Opelka 2-4, 4-4* Muchová/Rublev
Two holds for each duo from where we were at 2-1 in the second set.
Venus Williams came up clutch on a pressure point to win the game, before we go to 4-4.
It's time for a seven-point tiebreak.
Don't underestimate the added pressure of the no-ad scoring system in use, which means that there's a deciding point at 40-40.
It isn't just a winner-takes-all point; it also changes the perspective of each team during a game. The returning team effectively gets an extra break point, giving it more latitude to tee off earlier in the game if it has two or three in succession.
Świątek/Ruud 4-1, 0-0* Keys/Tiafoe
Well, they made that look easy!
We already have the first set wrapped up on Ashe as Świątek and Ruud put the hammer down and got that done quickly.
It is even more impressive given they trained together for the first time earlier today — although that seems to be true of a lot of the singles players paired in this mixed doubles format.
Doing it for the doubles specialists earlier!
A reminder: They will face the winners of Świątek/Ruud and Keys/Tiafoe later today. Getty Images
Williams/Opelka 2-4, 2-1* Muchová/Rublev
For a third time, we go to a deciding point.
The Americans were down a break point and in a tough spot at 30-40, but Venus Williams demonstrated her power, whacking it at Rublev, who could only net before putting his hands to his head in disbelief.
Yes, she's that good. And Opelka angles a volley past a stretching Rublev to take the game! Still on serve in the second. Remember Williams and Opelka must take this set, or they're outta here.
We have plenty of interest for the home fans as the U.S. pair of Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys prepares to take on Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud. Getty Images
Williams/Opelka 2-4, 0-0 Muchová/Rublev
Yep, there it is!
Andrey Rublev whips a cracking forehand down the line past big Reilly Opelka, then in a thrilling rally with three Rublev volleys, the Russian slips it past a jumping Williams forehand.
First set wrapped up.
Williams/Opelka 2-3* Muchová/Rublev
Ooh, moments of uncertainty on the Muchová serve at deuce after Rublev netted, but an errant Williams volley leads to the hold.
And Reilly Opelka holds in double-quick time too.
We're at 2-3, meaning Muchová/Rublev can serve for the first set on Louis Armstrong.
Competing at the 2025 U.S. Open? Then you've got a good chance of being in the money.
This year's Grand Slam in Queens is set to be the first tennis event to reach $90 million in prize money — which is a whopping 20 percent increase on the previous high set by the U.S. Open 12 months ago.
The winner of the men's and women's singles will each take home $5 million. As for this revamped mixed doubles championship, here is what the pairs are playing for (all figures per team)… Mixed doubles champions: $1 million
$1 million Runners-up: $400,000
$400,000 Semifinalists: $200,000
$200,000 Quarterfinalists: $100,000
$100,000 Round of 16: $20,000
So even players who lose their opening match today, like Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina, will get to walk away with $10,000 in their pocket. Getty Images
There is very little turnaround before its next match — later today! — so let's hear from our winning duo in its on-court interview:
💬 McNally: 'It's a funny story. Sunday night I was at home in Cincinnati and my agent called me and said I had 60 seconds to tell him if I wanted to play with Lorenzo Musetti.
'So I said yes. It's an amazing experience, he's an incredible player and it has been a privilege.'
💬 Musetti: 'We didn't have so much time so this morning we talked about it a little bit and we decided which side to play because it was our first time. We felt great on court.
'Caty is a really aggressive player on court and I like when she comes to the net. We had good chemistry on the court and I'm looking forward to playing with her again.'
Williams/Opelka 1-2* Muchová/Rublev
After losing the first game, Karolina Muchová and Andrey Rublev hold and then break the Americans on Venus Williams' serve.
They go bouncing into their seats at the net for the changeover, smiling contentedly.
Williams frowns.
A break may be enough to take the set in this new format.
Osaka/Monfils 3-5, 2-4 McNally/Musetti
There we have it!
Our first win on Ashe of the U.S. Open and it goes the way of McNally and Musetti. That was an entertaining match.
Osaka and Monfils stop for a quick selfie before heading off court to a big cheer. Getty Images
Williams/Opelka 1-0* Muchová/Rublev
I mean, wow. Reilly Opelka, the huge American sporting a pink baseball cap, is nearly 7 feet tall.
He's serving to poor Karolina Muchová.
I bet she never thought she'd have to return the serve of this gargantuan human being. Another straight ace sails past Andrey Rublev.
Return long, hold, and Williams touches her compatriot's fist. Getty Images
Mixed doubles isn't the only attraction on hand at the Billie Jean King NTC today. Qualifying for the singles draws is in full swing as well, with Italy's Nuria Brancaccio seen in the photo above.
It was only four years ago that Emma Raducanu's historic run to the U.S. Open title began in qualifying.
... on Louis Armstrong we have a superstar of the sport.
Venus Williams, 45 years young, and playing partner Reilly Opelka face Andrey Rublev and Karolina Muchová.
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Follow live from today's U.S. Open mixed doubles action as Jannik Sinner pulls out of event Getty Images Getty Images
Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the U.S. Open mixed doubles, which begins today in New York.
The men's world No. 1 in singles retired after five games of his Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz due to illness, and will recover before preparing for the U.S. Open singles.
Sinner was going to partner Kateřina Siniaková, probably the greatest active doubles player on earth, in a compelling alliance of the two tennis disciplines.
Siniaková, an 11-time Grand Slam doubles champion and a gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is yet to be given a new partner.
The official draw and order of play were updated Tuesday morning, but Sinner and Siniaková's place was occupied by 'Qualifier / Qualifier' as of 9:12 a.m., less than two hours before the start of the event.
GO FURTHER
Jannik Sinner withdraws from U.S. Open mixed doubles after Cincinnati Open final illness
Which duo will win the $1 million prize? Which pairing are you most looking forward to watching? How will the mixed doubles championship impact the singles tournaments?
We would love to hear from you!
Be it a comment, a tennis question, a prediction or something else, we welcome it all.
Email us at: [e-mail] and we'll feature the best of what we get in this live coverage.
So get involved!
In addition to Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium is the other show court at the U.S. Open during the mixed doubles event.
Fun fact: the stadium, named after the iconic American jazz musician, used to be the main center court before Arthur Ashe was built.
Louis Armstrong, which now boasts a roof in the event of inclement weather, has a capacity of 14,053. No doubt this court will showcase some superbly entertaining mixed doubles matches.
The most famous of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center's three stadiums is Arthur Ashe Stadium, also named after an American tennis great.
It's the biggest tennis stadium in the world, seating 23,771 at full capacity, and has hosted numerous iconic moments through the years.
What will the venerated show court have in store for us in 2025?
One of the guiding forces for thinking and writing about ESPN is to always remember that the 'E' stands for entertainment, and entertainment is what makes this week's mixed doubles competition at the U.S. Open a perfect appetizer for the American sports network.
The draw is oozing with boldfaced names and singles stars, a head-spinning thought as recently as a couple of years ago.
Traditionalists might balk at the format changes, with sets played to four games instead of six; full-time doubles players and former greats have already criticized the USTA for devaluing a Grand Slam trophy.
But here is the reality from the broadcaster perspective: this is a television show.
It is a mixed doubles tournament slated to pair Emma Raducanu with Carlos Alcaraz; Iga Świątek with Casper Ruud and Venus Williams with Reilly Opelka. One with a $1 million prize for the winning team and all the makings of great television.
One where men's singles world No. 1 Jannik Sinner will play with Kateřina Siniaková, one of the best doubles players in the world.
GO FURTHER
ESPN embraces U.S. Open mixed doubles with interviews between sets and new technology
While there is excitement for this revamped version of mixed doubles at the U.S. Open, there is also a fair amount of skepticism. Here are your views on the event:
💬 Tony T: 'The Majors should protect the integrity of the sport. Nothing wrong with this format, but it shouldn't be at the U.S. Open.'
💬 Alan R: 'Another attempt to make tennis more promotable and less traditional. Not an advancement for the game.'
💬 Thomas F: 'I couldn't understand why all these big name stars were slated to play mixed doubles. Now I get it. It's an exhibition. Sets to 4, give me a break.'
💬 Anonymous: 'The mixed doubles is nothing more than a glorified exhibition. Ridiculous scheduling with first matches less than 24 hours after Cincinnati finals. No surprise if one or more of the finalists pull out.'
💬 Paul K: 'The Cincinnati finals then this doubles thing starts a day after flying into New York? What are these players: carefully conditioned and managed top athletes or circus animals to entertain us? Good idea 'til it's not.'
💬 Khsu59: 'I'm all for it and plan to watch. Mixed doubles historically has been a total non-event, even ignored by tennis nerds. I mean Sock and Oudin won when they played together as teenagers. It will be fun to watch some of the top players in a less pressured competition.'
This may be the first year in a new format for mixed doubles at the U.S. Open, but the event itself has a long history in New York. Here are the past 10 U.S. Open mixed doubles winners — all under the traditional format for the tournament: 2024: Sara Errani / Andrea Vavassori
/ 2023: Anna Danilina / Harri Heliövaara
/ 2022: Storm Sanders / John Peers
/ 2021: Desirae Krawczyk / Joe Salisbury
/ 2020: Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019: Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Jamie Murray
/ 2018: Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Jamie Murray
/ 2017: Martina Hingis / Jamie Murray
/ 2016: Laura Siegemund / Mate Pavić
/ 2015: Martina Hingis / Leander Paes
The iconic complex on the north end of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens is the crown jewel of American tennis venues.
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center contains 22 hard courts, including three stadiums. Those courts are open to the public year-round — except when the U.S. Open is underway. The venue also sits near several other sports and cultural hubs in Queens including Citi Field, home of Major League Baseball's New York Mets.
The center is directly operated by the United States Tennis Association and has hosted the U.S. Open every year since opening in 1978.
In 2006, the venue was renamed from the USTA National Tennis Center in order to honor U.S. tennis legend Billie Jean King, who's often among the luminaries on the grounds to watch the action at every U.S. Open.
Here is today's order of play for the first two rounds of mixed doubles action at the U.S. Open.
As a reminder that excluding the final, all matches will be best of three sets — and you can find the full format for matches here or with a quick scroll down.
Here is the full draw for the mixed doubles championship at the U.S. Open, with the first two rounds taking place today.
While the skepticism surrounding this event is understandable to an extent, this condensed tournament format should provide strong entertainment value and high quality tennis.
While being the last duo standing and overcoming this overwhelmingly talented field is a prize in of itself, the victorious doubles team will also receive a $1 million prize.
A little financial incentive never hurts...
All matches prior to the final will be best of three sets, with short sets to just four games.
There will be no-ad scoring — so effectively it's next point wins whenever a game reaches deuce — as well as a tiebreak if a set reaches 4-4. Then if a third set is necessary, it will take place in the form of a 10-point match tiebreak.
The final will be best of three sets to six games, again featuring no-ad scoring, with tiebreaks at 6-6 and a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set.
Good news for tennis fans: Iga Świątek, one of the best players in the world, will be at the U.S. Open.
She said on Instagram late yesterday evening after winning the Cincinnati Open: 'Oh my God, what a tournament...
'Super proud and happy. Now I'm just trying to make it to my flight so we can see each other at the U.S. Open tomorrow (Tuesday).
'I'll try to reflect later.'
She will hope to recover from her exertions both physical and mental in Ohio, before competing here in Queens.
Late last week Emma Navarro, Paula Badosa and Tommy Paul all withdrew from the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship — leaving Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula briefly without a playing partner.
Pegula and Draper pivoted by pairing together, while Sinner is now set to play alongside doubles specialist Kateřina Siniaková.
Here is the star-studded list of participants for the U.S. Open mixed doubles draw, as it currently stands (and don't be surprised if there are some more withdrawals throughout the course of this morning):
DIRECT ENTRANTS Jessica Pegula / Jack Draper
Iga Świątek / Casper Ruud
Elena Rybakina / Taylor Fritz
Amanda Anisimova / Holger Rune
Belinda Bencic / Alexander Zverev
Mirra Andreeva / Daniil Medvedev
Madison Keys / Frances Tiafoe
Karolina Muchová / Andrey Rublev
WILD CARDS Olga Danilović / Novak Djokovic
Emma Raducanu / Carlos Alcaraz
Kateřina Siniaková / Jannik Sinner
Taylor Townsend / Ben Shelton
Venus Williams / Reilly Opelka
Sara Errani / Andrea Vavassori
Naomi Osaka / Gael Monfils
Lorenzo Musetti / Caty McNally
You can watch the first two rounds of the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship starting today at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and from 1 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS.
The action will also stream on ESPN+.
The first two rounds of the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship will be played today, beginning at 11 a.m. ET.
Looking ahead, the semifinals and final will be played on Wednesday, starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Hello tennis fans and welcome to our live coverage of the much-anticipated, somewhat scrutinized mixed doubles championship at the U.S. Open.
Over the next two days, we'll get to witness many of the biggest names in the sport team up to compete for the $1 million prize and of course, a bit of bragging rights.
This revamped, two-day championship will set the stage for what should be an exhilarating two weeks of late summer tennis at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
From first serve to final point, you will not want to miss a moment. Luckily, The Athletic has you covered with play-by-play coverage, live updates, analysis, reaction and more — so stay tuned!
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