Home / Sports / Djokovic & Sabalenka Upset in US Open Mixed Doubles
Djokovic & Sabalenka Upset in US Open Mixed Doubles
25 Aug
Summary
- Top seeds Djokovic and Sabalenka lost their opening match.
- Patten and Siniakova secured victory in a match tiebreak.
- The mixed doubles event format aims to boost singles player participation.
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka, the top seeds in the U.S. Open mixed doubles, experienced an early exit from the tournament. They were defeated in their opening match by the unseeded duo of Henry Patten and Katerina Siniakova. The match concluded with a 4-1, 2-4, 10-2 victory for Patten and Siniakova after a closely contested tiebreak.
Siniakova sealed the memorable win with a decisive ace on match point against Djokovic. Reflecting on the match, Patten noted the challenging nature of the format, where a single lapse can lead to a set's loss. This year's U.S. Open mixed doubles is being held prior to the singles main draw, a change implemented to encourage more top singles players to participate.
This format adjustment, introduced last year, has seen success commercially with full stands and notable singles player entries. However, it has also faced criticism from some in the doubles community for potentially reducing opportunities for established doubles teams. Italy's Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori were the defending champions from the previous year's competition.
