Serena Williams to team with Alcaraz for US Open mixed doubles

Serena Williams is coming back to the Big Apple. The US Open announced Saturday that the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion will team up with Carlos Alcaraz for its mixed doubles tournament, which begins Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Pairing with Alcaraz marks Williams' competitive return to the US Open, at which she last played in 2022. The six-time US Open singles champion won the US Open mixed doubles title in 1998 with Max Mirnyi. She and her sister Venus also own two career US Open women's doubles titles together.

They join a field of star-studded teams competing in the second edition of the US Open's innovative retooling of mixed doubles, including Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, returning finalists Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, and defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Also in the field are the all-American pair of Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, the married Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, and Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

This year's tournament begins with a qualifying competition on Monday, Aug. 24, where eight teams will compete for the final two main-draw spots. The first round and quarterfinals will be played on Tuesday, Aug. 25, and the semifinals and final will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Qualifying through the semifinals will be played as best-of-three-set matches with sets to four games; no-ad scoring (tiebreak at 4-4); and a 10-point tie-break in lieu of third set. The championship match is a more traditional best of three sets, with no-ad scoring and a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of third set.

MAIN DRAW

DIRECT ENTRANTS

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic

Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz

Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud

Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli

Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien

Diana Shnaider and TBA

WILD CARDS

Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori

Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime

Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe

Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev

Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz

Jakub Mensik and Karolina Muchova

Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul

QUALIFIERS (2)

QUALIFYING

DIRECT ENTRANTS*

Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten

Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliövaara

Luisa Stefani and Neal Skupski

Aleksandra Krunic and Mate Pavic

Kristina Mladenovic and Marcelo Arevalo

Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool

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