Latest news with #Vavassori
Dubai Eye
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Dubai Eye
Defending champions trump singles stars in early US Open mixed doubles
Veteran doubles experience overcame singles stardom as defending champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani reached the semi-finals at the US Open's reimagined mixed doubles on Tuesday, as the event kicked off with a new format and new fans. Vavassori and Errani downed 2022 Wimbledon singles winner Elena Rybakina and 2024 US Open singles finalist Taylor Fritz 4-2 4-2, before outlasting Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev 4-1 5-4(4) in the quarter-finals. The Italians had earned wild card entries. The pair had added motivation to retain their crown as the year's final major took a new approach to the event beloved by fans but often lost in a schedule that is dominated by singles action, moving the competition to five days before the main draw. This year's format saw eight pairings based on the combined singles rankings and eight wild cards, a move that left some doubles competitors fuming - including Vavassori and Errani - but brought a sellout crowd to Arthur Ashe Stadium. "The positives are for sure that the stadium was packed in the second match," said Vavassori, after downing Fritz and Rybakina. "It's a great thing for doubles to be seen by more people. I have to give them credit," he said. "We're also playing for all the doubles players that could not be here, so we tried to do our best." The Italians will face Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison after the last-minute tournament additions advanced to the semis with a stunning 4-1 5-4(2) win over fellow Americans Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend. The 2022 singles champion Iga Swiatek showed little sign of fatigue a day after clinching the title in Cincinnati, as she and teammate Casper Ruud downed American duo Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe 4-1 4-2 in their opener. They made easy work of Grand Slam doubles finalist Caty McNally and partner Lorenzo Musetti 4-1 4-2 later in the day, to claim another of the semi-final spots. The semis and final are set for Wednesday. "Last two days felt like one long day but I'm super happy to be here and playing with Casper," said Swiatek. "Didn't have time to play many doubles to practise but I think I can improvise pretty well." Swiatek and Ruud will face the top-seeded team of American Jessica Pegula and Briton Jack Draper in the semi-finals after they crushed the all-Russian duo of Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev 4-1 4-1. Draper and Pegula had earlier dispatched five-times Grand Slam singles champion Carlos Alcaraz and former women's US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the last 16. 'HOLLYWOOD OF MIXED DOUBLES' A logjam of cars waited long into the first round to enter the Flushing Meadows grounds as spectators abandoned their taxis, walking up the Grand Central Parkway to get inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It was the earliest sign of business not-as-usual for the US Open's "fan week" as ticketholders shelled out to catch the early action just a day after the Cincinnati Open concluded. "We're really excited. We heard it was like the Hollywood of mixed doubles," said Boston native Krystyna Zaluski, who brought her 13-year-old son to the tournament for the first time. "This event made it so simple for us to come out here." That star power was dented slightly by the last-minute withdrawal of Italian Jannik Sinner, a day after illness forced the world number one to retire five games into his Cincinnati Open final. Semi-finalists Collins and Harrison replaced Sinner and partner Katerina Siniakova in the draw.
NBC Sports
11 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
New U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament begins and 4 teams already are halfway to the $1 million prize
Iga Swiatek has been "in bully mode" since Wimbledon, says Drew Dinsick, and he views her as the "short shot" over Aryna Sabalenka with a favorable outright price to win the U.S. Open outright. NEW YORK — The new U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament drew plenty of criticism for everything from its format to its field. With mostly singles players, some who rarely play doubles at all, and an unusual scoring system, it felt so much like an exhibition that Jessica Pegula had to scold partner Jack Draper when he called it just that in their press conference. 'He shouldn't be saying that, but that's OK,' Pegula said, later adding that 'it's not an exhibition.' No, it's a real Grand Slam championship and it debuted to positive reviews from players and fans. The fast-pace event, with shorter matches and a smaller field, already is down to its final four. Whoever wins the trophy — and a $1 million prize — won't apologize for the way they got it. 'This is the official mixed doubles. If we get to the final tomorrow, I'm sure everyone is going to be pretty determined to try to win this thing,' Casper Ruud said. Ruud and Iga Swiatek, the No. 3 seeds, easily won their two matches and will face the top-seeded duo of Pegula and Draper in one semifinal. Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, the only traditional mixed doubles team in the 16-team field, meet Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison — who weren't even the draw until Jannik Sinner and Katerina Siniakova withdrew because of Sinner's illness — in the other. Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu were quickly eliminated. So were the No. 2 seeds, Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina. Novak Djokovic and teammate Olga Danilovic also were one-and-done. Those types of Grand Slam singles champions are exactly the types of players the U.S. Tennis Association was seeking when it revamped the tournament and cut it in down from 32 teams. Now played over two days, mixed doubles starts well before the singles tournaments begin, with organizers believing singles stars would be more interested in playing if it didn't interfere with their rest and recovery during that event. Traditional doubles specialists like Errani and Vavassori were among the biggest critics of the changes. The prize of $1 million to the winning team would be a huge boost to doubles players, but most of them never had a chance of competing for it this year. Errani and Vavassori said they were playing for those teams, but also acknowledged the potential benefit of the new event. 'I have to say that as everything, there are always positives and negatives. But the positives are for sure that the stadium was packed in the second match,' Vavassori said. 'It's a great thing for doubles to be seen by more people. I have to give them credit. I also said it before, playing this format is great for doubles and mixed doubles to develop in the future.' Errani and Vavassori didn't even know originally if they would get a chance to defend their title in the new format, which gives eight teams automatic spots based on the players' combined singles rankings. The other spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA. When Errani and Vavassori won the title last year in Flushing Meadows, it was late in the second week of the tournament in a stadium with plenty of empty seats. The new schedule has mixed doubles being played now when usually the only competitions taking place are the qualifying events for the singles tournaments. Admission onto the grounds during what the USTA calls 'fan week' is free, so Louis Armstrong Stadium stadium was packed for the opening match, a far bigger crowd than mixed doubles generally draws. Some fans may not have even realized that the match was headed to a second set after Errani and Vavassori took the opener in just 19 minutes. In traditional tennis scoring, they would have had to win six games instead of four to win the set. 'I think some people could easily view it as they had to do less work to win the match. Stamina's definitely less of a factor now that sets are only to four in the first two rounds, but I think it's good,' Jay Maresco of New York said after watching the Italians' second-round victory. 'It keeps the pace going. It's definitely better for the U.S. Open to keep the matches going in and out faster and more people in and out of Armstrong.' The sets to four games with a 10-point match tiebreaker instead of a third set were to be used through the semifinals. Only the final would resemble a regular match, with sets to six games, tiebreakers at 6-all and a 10-point tiebreak for a third set.
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First Post
17 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
Doubles veterans dominate singles stars as US Open's reimagined mixed doubles format finds new fans
While regular doubles players may not like US Open's reimagined mixed doubles competition, it certainly managed to bring new fans to the stadium on the first day of the event. Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu lost to Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula at US Open mixed doubles championships. Image: Reuters Veteran doubles experience overcame singles stardom as defending champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani reached the semi-finals at the US Open's reimagined mixed doubles on Tuesday, as the event kicked off with a new format and new fans. Vavassori and Errani downed 2022 Wimbledon singles winner Elena Rybakina and 2024 US Open singles finalist Taylor Fritz 4-2, 4-2, before outlasting Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev 4-1, 5-4(4) in the quarter-finals. The Italians had earned wild card entries. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US Open's reimagined mixed doubles format makes popular start The pair had added motivation to retain their crown as the year's final major took a new approach to the event beloved by fans but often lost in a schedule that is dominated by singles action, moving the competition to five days before the main draw. Also Read | With top stars, unique format, can US Open Doubles Championship revolutionise doubles tennis? This year's format saw eight pairings based on the combined singles rankings and eight wild cards, a move that left some doubles competitors fuming - including Vavassori and Errani - but brought a sellout crowd to Arthur Ashe Stadium. 'The positives are for sure that the stadium was packed in the second match,' said Vavassori, after downing Fritz and Rybakina. 'It's a great thing for doubles to be seen by more people. I have to give them credit,' he said. 'We're also playing for all the doubles players that could not be here, so we tried to do our best.' The Italians will face Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison after the last-minute tournament additions advanced to the semis with a stunning 4-1, 5-4(2) win over fellow Americans Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend. The 2022 singles champion Iga Swiatek showed little sign of fatigue a day after clinching the title in Cincinnati, as she and teammate Casper Ruud downed American duo Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe 4-1, 4-2 in their opener. They made easy work of Grand Slam doubles finalist Caty McNally and partner Lorenzo Musetti 4-1, 4-2 later in the day, to claim another of the semi-final spots. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The semis and final are set for Wednesday. 'Last two days felt like one long day but I'm super happy to be here and playing with Casper,' said Swiatek. 'Didn't have time to play many doubles to practise but I think I can improvise pretty well.' Swiatek and Ruud will face the top-seeded team of American Jessica Pegula and Briton Jack Draper in the semi-finals after they crushed the all-Russian duo of Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev 4-1, 4-1. Draper and Pegula had earlier dispatched five-times Grand Slam singles champion Carlos Alcaraz and former women's US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the last 16. 'Hollywood of mixed doubles' A logjam of cars waited long into the first round to enter the Flushing Meadows grounds as spectators abandoned their taxis, walking up the Grand Central Parkway to get inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It was the earliest sign of business not-as-usual for the US Open's 'fan week' as ticketholders shelled out to catch the early action just a day after the Cincinnati Open concluded. 'We're really excited. We heard it was like the Hollywood of mixed doubles,' said Boston native Krystyna Zaluski, who brought her 13-year-old son to the tournament for the first time. 'This event made it so simple for us to come out here.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD That star power was dented slightly by the last-minute withdrawal of Italian Jannik Sinner, a day after illness forced the world number one to retire five games into his Cincinnati Open final. Semi-finalists Collins and Harrison replaced Sinner and partner Katerina Siniakova in the draw.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Defending champions trump singles stars in early US Open mixed doubles
NEW YORK: Veteran doubles experience overcame singles stardom as defending champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani reached the semi-finals at the U.S. Open's reimagined mixed doubles on Tuesday, as the event kicked off with a new format and new fans. Vavassori and Errani downed 2022 Wimbledon singles winner Elena Rybakina and 2024 U.S. Open singles finalist Taylor Fritz 4-2 4-2, before outlasting Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev 4-1 5-4(4) in the quarter-finals. The Italians had earned wild card entries. The pair had added motivation to retain their crown as the year's final major took a new approach to the event beloved by fans but often lost in a schedule that is dominated by singles action, moving the competition to five days before the main draw. This year's format saw eight pairings based on the combined singles rankings and eight wild cards, a move that left some doubles competitors fuming - including Vavassori and Errani - but brought a sellout crowd to Arthur Ashe Stadium. "The positives are for sure that the stadium was packed in the second match," said Vavassori, after downing Fritz and Rybakina. "It's a great thing for doubles to be seen by more people. I have to give them credit," he said. "We're also playing for all the doubles players that could not be here, so we tried to do our best." The Italians will face Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison after the last-minute tournament additions advanced to the semis with a stunning 4-1 5-4(2) win over fellow Americans Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend. The 2022 singles champion Iga Swiatek showed little sign of fatigue a day after clinching the title in Cincinnati, as she and teammate Casper Ruud downed American duo Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe 4-1 4-2 in their opener. They made easy work of Grand Slam doubles finalist Caty McNally and partner Lorenzo Musetti 4-1 4-2 later in the day, to claim another of the semi-final spots. The semis and final are set for Wednesday. "Last two days felt like one long day but I'm super happy to be here and playing with Casper," said Swiatek. "Didn't have time to play many doubles to practise but I think I can improvise pretty well." Swiatek and Ruud will face the top-seeded team of American Jessica Pegula and Briton Jack Draper in the semi-finals after they crushed the all-Russian duo of Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev 4-1 4-1. Draper and Pegula had earlier dispatched five-times Grand Slam singles champion Carlos Alcaraz and former women's U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the last 16. 'HOLLYWOOD OF MIXED DOUBLES' A logjam of cars waited long into the first round to enter the Flushing Meadows grounds as spectators abandoned their taxis, walking up the Grand Central Parkway to get inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It was the earliest sign of business not-as-usual for the U.S. Open's "fan week" as ticketholders shelled out to catch the early action just a day after the Cincinnati Open concluded. "We're really excited. We heard it was like the Hollywood of mixed doubles," said Boston native Krystyna Zaluski, who brought her 13-year-old son to the tournament for the first time. "This event made it so simple for us to come out here." That star power was dented slightly by the last-minute withdrawal of Italian Jannik Sinner, a day after illness forced the world number one to retire five games into his Cincinnati Open final. Semi-finalists Collins and Harrison replaced Sinner and partner Katerina Siniakova in the draw.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Defending champions trump singles stars in early US Open mixed doubles
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 19, 2025 Italy's Sara Errani and Italy's Andrea Vavassori in action during their round of 16 mixed doubles match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. and Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina REUTERS/Kylie Cooper NEW YORK - Veteran doubles experience overcame singles stardom as defending champions Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani reached the semi-finals at the U.S. Open's reimagined mixed doubles on Tuesday, as the event kicked off with a new format and new fans. Vavassori and Errani downed 2022 Wimbledon singles winner Elena Rybakina and 2024 U.S. Open singles finalist Taylor Fritz 4-2 4-2, before outlasting Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev 4-1 5-4(4) in the quarter-finals. The Italians had earned wild card entries. The pair had added motivation to retain their crown as the year's final major took a new approach to the event beloved by fans but often lost in a schedule that is dominated by singles action, moving the competition to five days before the main draw. This year's format saw eight pairings based on the combined singles rankings and eight wild cards, a move that left some doubles competitors fuming - including Vavassori and Errani - but brought a sellout crowd to Arthur Ashe Stadium. "We're also playing for all the doubles players that could not be here, so we tried to do our best," said Vavassori, after downing Fritz and Rybakina. The 2022 singles champion Iga Swiatek showed little sign of fatigue a day after clinching the title in Cincinnati, as she and teammate Casper Ruud downed American duo Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe 4-1 4-2 in their opener. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP 2026 to be held at National Stadium to accommodate more Singaporeans Singapore Girl, 14, among 3 injured after minibus falls into Bukit Panjang canal Singapore Man to be charged after allegedly slashing another man with Swiss knife at City Plaza Singapore Hyflux founder Olivia Lum and ex-CFO gave input to 'play down' energy component of Tuaspring project Singapore FairPrice apologises after worm found in salmon bought from Bedok North outlet Singapore What led to Changi Airport runway incident involving 2 China Eastern Airlines planes in Aug 2024 Singapore Married man who offered cash to 12-year-old girl for sexual acts gets 19 months' jail They made easy work of Grand Slam doubles finalist Caty McNally and partner Lorenzo Musetti 4-1 4-2 later in the day, to claim another of the semi-final spots. The semis and final are set for Wednesday. "Last two days felt like one long day but I'm super happy to be here and playing with Casper," said Swiatek. "Didn't have time to play many doubles to practise but I think I can improvise pretty well." 'HOLLYWOOD OF MIXED DOUBLES' A logjam of cars waited long into the first round to enter the Flushing Meadows grounds as spectators abandoned their taxis, walking up the Grand Central Parkway to get inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It was the earliest sign of business not-as-usual for the U.S. Open's "fan week" as ticketholders shelled out to catch the early action just a day after the Cincinnati Open concluded. "We're really excited. We heard it was like the Hollywood of mixed doubles," said Boston native Krystyna Zaluski, who brought her 13-year-old son to the tournament for the first time. "This event made it so simple for us to come out here." That star power was dented slightly by the last-minute withdrawal of Italian Jannik Sinner, a day after illness forced the world number one to retire five games into his Cincinnati Open final. Americans Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison replaced Sinner and partner Katerina Siniakova in the draw. REUTERS
