Grand Slam tennis is back for one last instalment of the year, and there is something very different about the feel of this one.
The world’s elite converge on New York, New York for the US Open, but many of the top-ranked players across the men’s and women’s game have arrived a week early.
Why? For the revamped mixed doubles event, that has attracted the biggest names in the sport to join forces in a brand new format designed to excite fans with all-star teams and matches ahead of the calendar year’s last major tournament.
That has not been without controversy, however, with the defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori putting out a joint statement back in February that called the new format a “profound injustice”, before saying, "Making decisions just following the logic of profit is profoundly wrong in some situations.”
British No1s Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu are both involved during ‘fan week’ at Flushing Meadows, with the mixed doubles moved from the tail end of the tournament to the week before the singles draws begin.
Both Draper and Raducanu have had significant success at the US Open previously, with Draper reaching the semi-finals last year, falling to Jannik Sinner in the sweltering conditions, while Raducanu became the ‘Queen of Queen’s’ back in 2021, winning a maiden Grand Slam title at just 18 years old to complete a fairytale run from qualifying to a major final.
Also taking part is Carlos Alcaraz, determined to put his defeat in the Wimbledon final behind him, and Novak Djokovic has been handed a wildcard, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion in action for the first time since his semi-final defeat by Sinner at Wimbledon.
Men’s world No1 Sinner has had to withdraw after coming down with an illness, so he and Katerina Siniakova have been replaced by Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison.
Iga Swiatek is the highest-ranked female player, followed by Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva, and Madison Keys.
Aryna Sabalenka, the defending women’s champion in New York, had been slated to play with Grigor Dimitrov, but she decided against finding a new partner after the Bulgarian was forced to withdraw with a pectoral injury that he sustained at Wimbledon against Sinner.
US Open mixed doubles 2025 pairings
Which stars are joining forces? Are there any surprise duos?
Direct entrants
Jessica Pegula & Jack Draper
Iga Swiatek & Casper Ruud
Elena Rybakina & Taylor Fritz
Amanda Anisimova & Holger Rune
Belinda Bencic & Alexander Zverev
Mirra Andreeva & Daniil Medvedev
Caty McNally & Lorenzo Musetti
Wildcards
Emma Raducanu & Carlos Alcaraz
Madison Keys & Frances Tiafoe
Olga Danilovic & Novak Djokovic
Taylor Townsend & Ben Shelton
Sara Errani & Andrea Vavassori
Venus Williams & Reilly Opelka
Karolina Muchova & Andrey Rublev
Naomi Osaka & Gael Monfils
Danielle Collins & Christian Harrison
Who is seeded? How did they decide who was seeded?
There are four top seeds in the draw, with the seedings decided upon combined singles’ ranking.
Draper and Pegula are the top seeds - with the Briton ranked world No5, and Pegula sitting at world No4.
Second is home favourite Taylor Fritz, last year’s beaten men’s singles finalist, and he partners Elena Rybakina, the former Wimbledon champion.
Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud are the third seeds, while Holger Rune and Amanada Anisimova complete the top four.
Full US Open mixed doubles first round draw
Jack Draper (GBR) & Jessica Pegula (USA) vs Carlos Alcaraz (Esp) & Emma Raducanu (GBR)
Olga Danilovic & Novak Djokovic (Srb) vs Mirra Andreeva & Daniil Medvedev
Casper Ruud (Nor) & Iga Swiatek (Pol) vs Madison Keys & Frances Tiafoe (USA)
Gael Monfils (Fra) & Naomi Osaka (Jpn) vs Caty McNally (USA) & Lorenzo Musetti (Ita)
Danielle Collins (USA) & Christian Harrison (USA) vs Belinda Bencic (Sui) & Alexander Zverev (Ger)
Ben Shelton & Taylor Townsend (USA) vs Amanda Anisimova (USA) & Holger Rune (Den)
Reilly Opelka & Venus Williams (USA) vs Karolina Muchova (Cze) & Andrey Rublev
Sara Errani & Andrea Vavassori (Ita) vs Taylor Fritz (USA) & Elena Rybakina (Kaz)
US Open 2025 mixed doubles full schedule
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 - First round and quarter-finals
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 - Semi-finals and final
Play will get underway at 11am ET (4pm BST) on the first day of action.
US Open 2025 mixed doubles first round order of play
Arthur Ashe Stadium
Naomi Osaka & Gael Monfils vs Caty McNally & Lorenzo Musetti
Iga Swiatek & Casper Ruud vs Madison Keys & Frances Tiafoe (not before 5pm BST)
Emma Raducanu & Carlos Alcaraz vs Jessica Pegula & Jack Draper (not before 7pm BST)
Olga Danilovic & Novak Djokovic vs Mirra Andreeva & Daniil Medvedev
Louis Armstrong Stadium
Sara Errani & Andrea Vavassori vs Elena Rybakina & Taylor Fritz
Venus Williams & Reilly Opelka vs Karolina Muchova & Andrey Rublev
Taylor Townsend & Ben Shelton vs Amanda Anisimova & Holger Rune (Not before 6.30pm BST)
Danielle Collins & Christian Harrison vs Belinda Bencic & Alexander Zverev
When are Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz playing?
The wildcard duo are scheduled to play third on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday, when they take on top seeds Draper and Pegula.
That match opens the afternoon session at Flushing Meadows, and is not before 2pm local time, which is 7pm BST.
Should they progress into the last eight, they will play again later in the day on Tuesday, although that could spill into overnight territory.
What is the match format?
The layout of the matches will be slightly different than a traditional best-of-three, first to six games encounter.
Here, while the match will still be best-of-three, the sets will be shorter, played to four games rather than the usual six, with no advantages (sudden-death deuce), and a tiebreak if scores are tied at 4-4.
A ten-point championship tiebreak will be played if the pairs are level at one set all.
What is the prize money?
The winning pair will receive $1million (£736,880), while the beaten finalists will take home $400,000 (£294,729).
Semi-finalists will receive $200,000 (£147,364), and those that make it to the last eight will pocket $100,000 (£73,682).
A first-round exit will generate $20,000 (£14,736) per pair.
