Latest news with #MixedDoubles
New York Times
21-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka among pairs hoping to compete in US Open mixed doubles
The U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament keeps getting more intriguing. With the deadline for registration approaching next week, the United States Tennis Association released an updated list of teams hoping to compete for the $1million in prize money during the week before the singles and doubles competitions take place. Advertisement The new list of teams, 25 in all – nine more than the roster the USTA released last month – had another collection of big names, including Venus Williams, the 45-year-old seven-time singles Grand Slam winner, who wants to team up with Reilly Opelka, literally the biggest player in the sport, when measured by height. Opelka is nearly seven feet tall. Amanda Anisimova, a finalist in singles at Wimbledon, wants to play with Holger Rune. Some notable names have also dropped off. Jack Draper and Zheng Qinwen are no longer on the list. Both are injured. Draper pulled out of the Canadian Open with an arm injury; Zheng just underwent elbow surgery. Stefano Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have taken a pass. They, too, have been dealing with chronic injuries. Also, after two years of romance, they recently unfollowed each other on social media and removed pictures from their individual channels – never a good sign for a mixed doubles partnership, on or off the court. For those who want romance from their mixed doubles though, there is some relief. Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter, the Aussie-Brit couple who are engaged, have signed on. Many of the biggest-name teams, several of which the USTA organized in a fit of match-making, seeking to bring attention and interest in mixed doubles, are still there. That includes, Jannik Sinner and Emma Navarro, Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, Novak Djokovic and Olga Danilovic, Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov, and Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud. However, the new entrants include a slew of hard-core and successful doubles players. That means the USTA is going to have some hard decisions to make about its priorities for the 16-team field. The top eight teams with the best combined singles ranking next week will gain automatic entry. The USTA will award wild cards to the next eight teams. Advertisement Here's the issue: Katerina Siniakova wants to play with Marcelo Arevalo; Desirae Krawczyk wants to play with Evan King; Hsieh Su-Wei wants to play with Jan Zielinski; Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori had already signed up; Gaby Dabrowski wants to play with fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. All those women are ranked among the top 12 in the WTA doubles rankings. So is Taylor Townsend, the world No. 2 in doubles but No. 97 in singles. She has teamed up with Ben Shelton. Arevalo is the world No. 1. Errani and Vavassori are the defending champions. What's a tournament organizer to do? 'Earlier this year, the USTA announced the reimagining of the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship, with the goal of driving greater awareness for this storied competition, giving fans both in attendance and across the globe the opportunity to see tennis' biggest stars – both men and women – compete side-by-side for a US Open Grand Slam title,' the USTA said in the statement that accompanied the roster of registrants. The reimagining included shrinking the tournament to a two-day event scheduled for August 18 and 19 to allow big-time singles players to use it as a competitive warm-up for their singles competitions. The format will be best-of-three sets with a match tiebreak for the third set. Also, the sets are first to four games rather than six. Several top doubles players have complained that the USTA has turned a legitimate competition into an exhibition. Even Djokovic said recently awarding a Grand Slam title to a team after a two-day competition of mini-matches seemed a bit weird. Now it appears the organizers may have made it too appealing – and pitted committed doubles players against stars in singles. That said, they have also given themselves an opportunity to test the age-old question of whether two singles stars are better than doubles specialists at their own game. Advertisement The question now though is how many of those doubles specialists will get the opportunity to represent their cohort and how the USTA will justify its choices. The full list of entrants so far… Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner **Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune 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 **Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz **Katie Boulter and Alex De Minaur **Donna Vekic and Hubert Hurkacz Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton **Iva Jovic and Jenson Brooksby Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori **Gaby Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime **Demi Schuurs and Tallon Griekspoor **Katerina Siniakova and Marcelo Arevalo **Desirae Krawczyk and Evan King **Su-Wei Hsieh and Jan Zielinski **Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka **Denotes new entrant since initial announcement on 6/17 (Cover photo of De Minaur and Boulter:)
The Sun
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Beaming Emma Raducanu watches Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court amid romance rumours with Wimbledon men's champion
EMMA RADUCANU beamed as she watched Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court - amid romance rumours between the pair. Alcaraz - the reigning Wimbledon men's champion - faced Andrey Rublev in the Last 16 of the tournament. 1 And watching full of smiles was Raducanu - recently beaten in round three by World No1 Aryna Sabalenka. Raducanu brought in over five millions viewers for her defeat to Sabalenka - the third-highest ratings for any non-final contest in the last three years. The enthralling contest, which saw world No1 Sabalenka narrowly beat British favourite Raducanu 7-6 6-4, was watched by a peak audience of 5.32 million. Off the court, Raducanu, 22, has been romantically Alcaraz, 22, but she has denied any sort of a relationship. She said: 'We're just good friends.' The two will be a little more than just friends at the US Open in August after announcing they will team up for the mixed doubles event in New York.
Malay Mail
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Game, set… friends? Raducanu shuts down Alcaraz romance rumours ahead of US Open team-up
LONDON, June 29 — British number one Emma Raducanu refused to be drawn on rumours of a relationship with French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz as the duo gear up for a doubles partnership at the US Open. Raducanu and Alcaraz practised together at Wimbledon on Friday as part of a sponsors commitment and will play alongside each other at Flushing Meadows in September in the mixed doubles. Five-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz revealed last week he had made the request to play with Raducanu, who shot to fame when she won the US Open in 2021. 'We're just good friends,' said a smiling Raducanu when asked about speculation that the two are dating. 'It was fun yesterday. We were both on court with Evian. We were just getting some volley practising ahead of New York. 'I'm really happy obviously to be playing with him. Yeah, we had a good time yesterday.' In contrast to Alcaraz's meteoric rise since making his major breakthrough at the US Open three years ago, Raducanu has struggled to shine under the spotlight since becoming a household name. The 22-year-old has never progressed beyond the fourth round of the Grand Slam since winning in New York and has been battling a back injury heading into Wimbledon. 'Truthfully, I don't expect much from myself this year. I know I've just been dealing with certain things. I just want to go out there and embrace the moment,' added Raducanu, who faces fellow Briton Mimi Xu in the first round. 'I know there's not many opportunities to be playing at Wimbledon. You get it once a year and for a finite amount of time. 'I'm just looking forward to going out there and feeling the surroundings and the atmosphere.' — AFP
The Sun
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Emma Raducanu opens up on relationship with Carlos Alcaraz and when they first grew close as they enjoy cosy days out
EMMA RADUCANU has opened up on her relationship with Carlos Alcaraz. Last week it was announced that the superstar pair will be teaming up for the revamped US Open mixed doubles event in August. 7 7 7 Raducanu, 22, set tongues wagging as she headed to Queen's on Saturday to cheer on her new doubles partner at the swanky West London club. And SunSport has since revealed that the "spark" between Alcaraz and Raducanu was the "talk of Queen's" last week. The British No1 missed the Spaniard's victory over Jiri Lehecka on Sunday as she had headed to Eastbourne to play in her final event before Wimbledon. Speaking before her round one match against Ann Li, Raducanu lifted the lid on her partnership with Alcaraz. After the world No2 joked that Raducanu "took a while" to give him a response, she said: "I mean, of course, I had to ask my team if they wanted me to play. "But for me, when he asked me, I was going to say yes, I just had to kind of go through the formality of asking my coach, so I didn't just make the decision." When it was put to Raducanu that fans have frequently joked that she and Alcaraz are "destined for each other", the British star laughed and replied: "I'm glad the internet is having fun and we're providing entertainment for everyone." On how they became friends, Raducanu added: "I've known him for years and actually in Wimbledon 2021 it was like kind of the first time I started getting to know him, and I had a good run there and then also again in the US Open in 2021. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 7 7 "And I remember he was always playing the day before me and I was playing like the second day of the round. "And I would see him win and then I would have motivation to win and get myself into that position too. Emma Raducanu sets fans' tongues wagging as she turns up to see Carlos Alcaraz who after makes flattering admission "And I remember he beat Stef [Tsitsipas] in the third round and it was like a big win, his breakout kind of win on a big stage and it was really cool to kind of, I guess, go through that tournament together and then I kept going through the US Open, but we were staying in touch for the whole time and yeah, it's nice." Throughout her career, Raducanu has shown a tendency to rely on people that she knew prior to her US Open success. This has been particularly notable in her coaching choices, with the world No38 often returning to former trainers and confidantes Mark Petchey, Nick Cavaday and Jane O'Donoghue. Further lifting the lid on her connection with Alcaraz, Raducanu went on: "We have a good relationship still. He's obviously overtaken me a lot, but it's nice that we have that from a while ago. "I think for all of us, we really kind of value those connections that we had from when we were young because when you become a bit more known or a bit more successful, you just find yourself reverting back to people you knew from a young age because you're like, that's a real genuine connection. "Because it becomes very busy and you have a lot more friends but the ones that you've known for a long time mean a lot more to you." Raducanu will take on American Li in round one at Devonshire Park this afternoon. Should she triumph, the home favourite will face Australia's Maya Joint in round two - with a potential rematch with her Wimbledon conqueror from last year Lulu Sun awaiting in the quarter-finals. 7 7
News.com.au
17-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Nick Kyrgios could play mixed doubles with former world No.1 Naomi Osaka in controversial new format at US Open
Nick Kyrgios has signed up to play mixed doubles with former world No.1 Naomi Osaka in the controversial new format being unveiled at the US Open. But Kyrgios and Osaka would need a wildcard to get into the event being played in 'Fan Week' before the main draw. The duo were among a raft of interesting pairings who registered, including former US Open winner Emma Raducanu and French Open champ Carlos Alcaraz. Alex de Minaur and his British fiancee Katie Boulter are also expected to sign up before the July 28 deadline to play the new format, which has so far attracted 16 teams including both world No.1s, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka. A STAR-STUDDED 🤩 lineup of teams have officially entered the reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Championship! More info: — US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 17, 2025 The top eight with the best combined singles ranking will be guaranteed a place along with eight wildcard entries. Kyrgios, who is ranked 633rd and has hardly played as he continues to battle injury, and Osaka, ranked 57th, would need a wildcard. Their drawing power, however, could guarantee a spot in the event that rankled traditional doubles players. 'Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the entry list makes us all incredibly excited,' US Tennis Association chief executive Lew Sherr said. 'It shows that the players are behind what we are trying to do, and we know that the fans will love it.' Tournament organisers have radically changed the mixed-doubles format to involve the world's best players. Nine of the world's top-10 women and nine of the world's top-10 men are signed up. The matches will be staged on main courts, including Arthur Ashe, with the scoring system changed. Sets will only be played to four games, there will be a sudden-death deuce and a tie-break at 4-4, with a 10-point tie-break instead of the third set. The entire tournament will be played across just two days.
