And then there were four.
A long day of mixed doubles on the US Open’s two biggest showcourts featured 12 matches and plenty of enthusiasm, as fans packed in and cheered on some of the sports’ biggest names with enthusiasm.
In the end, the defending champions, Italy’s Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, navigated the gauntlet of top-tier talent to join a varied mix of semifinalists that features three Americans, three Top-10 singles players and five former Grand Slam singles finalists.
Top-seeded Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, who defeated the Alcaraz-Raducanu pairing in the first round, topped Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva to reach the final four and set a clash with Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, the No.3 seeds.
In the lower half, Danielle Coolins and Christian Harrison, who filled in for Jannik Sinner and Katerina Siniakova, will face Errani and Vavassori.
The Italian wild cards are playing with purpose, and they are eager to prove that top-notch doubles players deserve center stage, even in a competition that is flooded with singles stars. So far, so good.
“We are also playing for them,” Vavassori said of his fellow doubles players who did not qualify for the tournament due to the fact that combined singles rankings were used to determine team qualification. “I think it’s important to show also that doubles players are great players. I think our main goal in the future will be to change a little bit the narrative because singles players are amazing on singles, but doubles players are amazing in doubles.”
The semifinals and finals will take place inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday, with the semis kicking off at 7 PM.
