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.
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori retained their mixed doubles title in the new-look format
Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud made the final before losing to the doubles specialist pair
There was an A-list presence on Wednesday as well as Anna Wintour was in attendance
Fans didn’t have to pay to see any of the mixed doubles matches on Tuesday or Wednesday, but they certainly showed up – 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.
‘We also play for all the doubles players who cannot compete at the mixed doubles tournament here. We try to do our best,’ Vavassori said in an on-court interview on Tuesday.’
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.
Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula’s run came to end on Tuesday night in the semifinals
Christian Harrison and Danielle Collins also exited in the semis following their last-minute entry into the tournament
‘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. An electrifying break point rally won by Vavassori and Errani in the second set of their semifinal was met a proper eruption from the crowd, and a truly delighted Vavassori flexed in celebration himself. Vavassori was so excited after winning the final that he picked Errani up in his arms.
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.
Ultimately, the Italians held their nerve in a deciding tiebreak as Open organizers got perhaps the best of both worlds: the best team winning, and the stands filled.
There could be tweaks, but they’d be silly to fully ditch this format in the years to come.
