Why the US Open has struck gold with its new mixed doubles format… despite failure of star-studded field

There was a learning curve, this week, for fans at the US Open’s new mixed doubles format.

A group of spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night could be heard at one point trying to wrap their heads around the shortened format of the matches (which saw sets played to four games before the final).

The consistent hum of chatting in the arena (at least before the final) felt out of place for the latter stages of a competition – even one which Jack Draper called an ‘exhibition’ the night before.

And one fan sat behind this reporter even had a phone conversation as one point was contested earlier in the night.

But at the end of an evening which saw defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori crowned 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 (tiebreak) winners over Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud (and a star-studded field), fans were there filling Ashe after all, and it’s hard to imagine that Open organizers won’t have considered this controversial, abbreviated format a success. 

Even after a raft of pull-outs like Jannik Sinner, Emma Navarro, Tommy Paul and Paula Badosa disrupted the buildup to the $1million tournament, the atmosphere was deafening for the final.

With admission free on Tuesday at Louis Armstrong Stadium – and prices more reasonable than usual for Ashe – fans showed up in droves, providing an extra boost to the coffers of the tournament with their purchase of merch, food and of course, honeydeuces. Not to mention the enthusiasm they displayed from the stands during the business end of the competition.

There was even a bit of an A-list presence on Wednesday as ‘Hamilton’ creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anna Wintour were featured on the jumbotron. Tennis icon Billie Jean King appeared on the court ahead of the final, too.

US Open organizers, ultimately, made a calculated bet: move this competition up to qualifying week, court stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu to play, and attract attention like which mixed doubles have never gotten before in New York.

They were right, though that doesn’t mean there wasn’t blowback, or that those stars actually fared all that well on the court.

Just one doubles specialist pairing, Errani and Vavassori, were included out of 16 teams as the rest of the tournament was mostly made up of singles stars. In fact, half of the entrants were included on the basis of their combined singles rankings. But it was them who emerged victorious from a field which also included Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and more.

‘This one is for all the doubles players that couldn’t play this tournament,’ Errani said on the court after winning the title. ‘This one is for them’

If doubles specialists understandably didn’t like what had happened to one of the major events on their calendar, the singles stars, at least, couldn’t be accused of treating it frivolously as the final two rounds were contested on Wednesday.

‘Exhibition’ be damned, Ruud and Swiatek actually challenged a point during what turned out to be a highly dramatic comeback win over Draper and Jessica Pegula in the semis, while Swiatek called her winner in that match’s third-set tiebreak the ‘most important volley of my life’ on court afterwards.

‘Yeah, it ain’t an exhibition,’ Draper said afterwards as he walked back his remarks from a night earlier.

Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison’s box of family and friends, too, were certainly invested in the action as they got on their feet during the pair’s semifinal loss to Errani and Vavassori.

If there was a lack of intensity in the arena at times, the crowd certainly tensed up during the big moments. 

Things quieted down a bit during the final as some shushes emanated from the crowd. This was a Grand Slam final, after all, even if it wouldn’t result in any singles points for Swiatek or Ruud.

From 5-3 down in the second set, the pair managed to claw their way to a deciding tiebreak. And Ashe, under the lights, certainly gave the proper treatment to this dramatic ending.

The momentum had swung decidedly in the direction of Swiatek and Ruud following their late surge, though it was the Italians who ultimately provided reason for the crowd to erupt.

They jumped out to a 4-0 lead and avoided having the tiebreak leveled at 5-4 as a helter-skelter rally ended with Swiatek volleying into the net.

From there, Errani and Vavasorri held their as Open organizers got perhaps the best of both worlds: the best team winning, and the stands packed and rowdy.

Mixed doubles doesn’t usually get this treatment. But it looks like this format could be here to stay.