The USTA is making a radical revision to US Open mixed doubles.
Is it mixed magic or mixed madness?
The 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship will be contested during the first week of the US Open – Fan Week – to be played Tuesday, August 19–Wednesday, August 20.
With the Mixed Doubles Championship no longer played during the main draw of singles play, the USTA touts “a blockbuster field of the sport’s biggest stars have a greater opportunity to team up to vie for this coveted Grand Slam title and a $1 million winner’s prize.”
Given the fact the US Open will feature its first Sunday start in Open Era history this summer, the question is: Will singles stars opt to play the Mixed Doubles and risk potential injury?
The Mixed Championship will take center stage over two days of competition in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium. With the shift also comes more opportunities for fans everywhere to enjoy watching their favorite stars compete for another Grand Slam title, with planned first-time primetime ESPN and international broadcast coverage of the Championship.
“I could not be more excited to introduce this groundbreaking innovation to the 2025 US Open Championships,” said Lew Sherr, USTA Executive Director and CEO. “We’ll be scheduling mixed doubles on the center stage and enabling more fans worldwide to enjoy the thrill of watching their favorite stars compete for this coveted Grand Slam Championship title. One of the primary reasons the US Open is among the premier sports events in the world is because it features the best athletes, both male and female, competing on an equal stage.
“This is the official US Open Mixed Doubles Championship, and by giving the competition its own spotlight we’re elevating mixed doubles to put an even greater focus on the incredible talent we have across the sport. We’re working closely with top players, many of whom are eager to be part of this historic change. Having our broadcasting partners, including ESPN, onboard to showcase this innovation only adds to the excitement, ensuring that fans everywhere will get to witness these elite athletes team up and redefine the game together.”
US Open women’s singles finalist Jessica Pegula said, “As a player who enjoys competing in doubles, I’m excited for the opportunity to play the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship during the first week. I appreciate the importance of innovation and exploring new ways to engage more fans and grow our sport.”
The 2025 US Open men’s finalist Taylor Fritz, who has won the Eisenhower Cup mixed doubles partnering Aryna Sabalenka, praised the move.
“Mixed doubles is always a great challenge, and I’ve had some amazing experiences with it over the years, from the Olympics to the United Cup, and even the USO Mixed Madness last year,” Fritz said. “I’m definitely looking forward to the chance to compete for a Grand Slam title in the future.”
The reimagination of the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship comes following the tremendous success of the 2024 US Open Mixed Madness in Arthur Ashe Stadium, won by Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Substantial attendance figures, along with enthusiasm from broadcast partners and positive feedback from players, partners and fans showed the desire for a showcase of top players in this format. Innovations include:
A player field featuring 16 teams – eight teams earning direct entry based on their combined singles ranking and eight wild-card entries.Best-of-three-set matches with short sets to four games, no-ad scoring, tiebreakers at four-all and a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set.The final will be a best-of-three set match to six games, featuring no-ad scoring, with tiebreakers at six-all and a 10-point match tiebreaker in lieu of a third set.All matches played in Arthur Ashe Stadium or Louis Armstrong Stadium.
