After many long months of discussion and anticipation, the doubles partnership between Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz came and went in the blink of an eye in front of a well populated Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. Despite ample smiles and enjoyment on the court, they were outclassed in a battle of British No 1s by a sharp Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, the top seeds, who reached the quarter-finals of the revamped mixed doubles competition with a 4-2, 4-2 win.
With one win under their belt and their confidence growing, Pegula and Draper then rolled through their quarter-final match against Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev, easing into the semi-finals with an emphatic 4-1, 4-1 win. They will face Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison on Wednesday afternoon for a place in the final, which takes place on Wednesday night.
In a draw filled with surreal scratch partnerships, the first bracket was particularly striking. Draper and Raducanu have known each other since their childhood days when they were rising up the national rankings in Great Britain while dreaming of becoming professional players. When the US Open announced their “reimagined” mixed doubles competition in February, the two British players pairing up seemed like a logical option. Instead, they found themselves facing each other inside the biggest tennis stadium in the world.
Raducanu had played just three doubles tournaments in her entire career before this week and the match started with a reminder of her inexperience as she sprayed a backhand drive volley far wide. That first point would set the tone for a difficult day as she was continually vulnerable at the net. Draper and Alcaraz have not spent much more time on the doubles court, either, but it was Draper who tackled the contest with total aggression. He played two great matches, constantly looking to close down the net and punching holes in his opponents with his heavy topspin forehand. He also showed his old friend Raducanu no mercy at all, successfully targeting her throughout their match.
Perhaps the most significant result on Tuesday was Draper’s mere presence on the court. He has not competed since his second round loss at Wimbledon last month after opting to withdraw from both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open due to a left forearm injury.
After his blistering start to the season, the past few months have been tough due to injury and two difficult defeats at the French Open and Wimbledon. One year after his breakthrough semi-final run in New York, he looks fit and ready again.
Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz celebrate after winning a point. Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images
While the partnership between Raducanu and Alcaraz has dominated the headlines since it was announced, the pairing of Draper and Pegula is a result of numerous withdrawals but they have now formed a formidable team. Pegula is one of the most accomplished players across both singles and doubles, the current singles No 4 and a former doubles No 1. Pegula’s solid baseline play and intelligence on the court provided Draper with the platform to continually attack the net, and they have put themselves in position to compete for the title.
On Monday night, after her triumph over Jasmine Paolini at the Cincinnati Open, Iga Swiatek did not finish her media duties until around 10pm. She and Alcaraz, the men’s champion, travelled from Cincinnati together on a private jet and arrived in New York at 12:50am. Just over 13 hours after finishing her work in Ohio, she was on Grandstand training with her new doubles partner, Casper Ruud. No matter, she put together two brilliant performances to deliver her second and third wins in less than 24 hours.
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, the defending champions and the only doubles specialist team in the draw, marched through the rounds in pursuit of another title and justice for the doubles specialists that have been squeezed out of the competition in order to accommodate the singles stars.
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From the first ball of their opening round match against Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, the second seeds, the Italian pairing were on a mission and they carried themselves like a team determined to represent all doubles players. Every point was played with manic intensity, especially from Errani, with their screams of “allez” and “vamos” directly punctuating almost every success.
Jack Draper plays a shot from the net at Flushing Meadows. Photograph: Yuki Iwamura/AP
Most importantly, they played flawlessly, erecting a wall at the net and picking apart their inexperienced opponents as they eased to a straight sets win over Fritz and Rybakina, then Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev. They will face Swiatek and Ruud for a spot in another final. “For us it was important to send a message before the tournament,” said Vavassori.
“When we got the wildcard, when Eric [Butorac] called me, I was grateful to play. At least there were not so many doubles players. We are also playing for them. I think it’s important to show also that doubles players are great players.”