A fortnight out from Wimbledon, with All England Club defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beginning his grass court campaign in the 27C sunshine at Queen’s Club, it is highly unusual for another Grand Slam to steal the limelight. Yet in New York, they don’t care what feathers they ruffle on the streets of Kensington or Southfields.
Earlier this year, the US Open announced a new-look mixed doubles tournament to take place in the week preceding the two-week major. With a winning purse of $1million, top singles players have been encouraged to participate in a two-day, quick-scoring format. For the tradition of Grand Slam tennis, it is quite the radical shake-up, while for doubles specialists, some reliant on the earnings of mixed tennis, it amounts to something close to a slap in the face.
Yet on these shores, there’s no doubting where the main stardust pairing lies. Five-time major winner Alcaraz, the sport’s hottest property right now, is set to compete in a box-office duo alongside British No 1 Emma Raducanu.
As such, with the greatest of respect to Alcaraz’s first-round opponent at Queen’s – Australian lucky loser Adam Walton – the hot topic in the press room was not the Spaniard’s solid if unspectacular 6-4 7-6(4) win, his 14th victory in a row. It was the formation of ‘AlcarCanu’.
“She’s going to be the boss!’ he said, with a wide smile in his press conference. “The US Open came to us and gave us the opportunity to play mixed doubles and I’m super excited about it. It’s going to be great.
“I’ve known Emma a really long time and I have a really good relationship with her, it’s going to be interesting. The tournament told us about the mixed tournament and I was thinking it couldn’t be better than Emma. I asked Emma if she wanted to play doubles with me and yeah, I made that special request.”
Asked if she said ‘yes’ straight away, Alcaraz comically responded: “She took a while! She had to think a little bit!”
On court, one break of serve was enough for Alcaraz in the first set sunshine where Walton – who filled in at three hours notice for the ill Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who got married at the weekend – gave a decent account of himself early on.
The world No 86 looked to go toe-to-toe with Alcaraz in a series of lengthy rallies and while Alcaraz – in his first match since that sensational Roland Garros triumph against Jannik Sinner – took some time to find his range in front of a sold-out crowd on Andy Murray Arena, his superiority showed in the clutch moments.
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The second was similarly nip-and-tuck, with Walton cleaning the lines and, after three uncharacteristic Alcaraz errors, the Australian was one point away from the set. Yet if his spectacular Paris comeback showed us anything, it is how Alcaraz can reach another stratosphere at the big moments. Four irretrievable first serves saw him weave his way out of trouble.
To a tiebreak they went, where one quickfire exchange at 4-4 at the net saw Alcaraz come out on top, with a backhand volley which dipped perfectly below the baseline. That mini-break was enough; he’d claim the next two points on serve, crisply sealing his spot in the second round with a trademark forehand winner crosscourt.
While Alcaraz was pushed and prodded, second seed Jack Draper, who beat Alcaraz here last year, wasted no time in his first match on grass. As temperatures rose (one spectator in the stands fainted), Draper cranked through the gears stress-free in a dominant 77-minute outing.
The British No 1, now world No 6 heading into the Wimbledon fortnight and pushing for a top-four seeding, started the match with a statement first point, cleaning the line with an on-the-run forehand winner. Starting how he means to go on, Draper won 10 of the last 11 games and secured a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory with an ace up the T against unorthodox American player Jenson Brooskby. Much to the delight of the British crowd.
“Good to be home,” Draper wrote on the courtside camera, as he looks forward to a stretch of the season he can spend down the road in Putney.
After a comfortable opener, a tougher match awaits for the 23-year-old in the last-16 on Thursday, in the form of big-hitting Australian Alexei Popyrin. But what of his partnership with China’s Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng in New York?
“I think it’ll be fun to get out there and play with her,” he said, of a duo formed through their IMG agency.
“I’ll definitely play. It’s a good format for the players to prepare for the US Open, having a shot at playing with another top player. Qinwen is a great player and has a really good game.”
Asked why an all-British pairing with Raducanu did not come to fruition, Draper was magnanimous in his offering. “A wise person once told me you should find the best partner,” he said. “And that’s exactly what she did in Alcaraz!
“I don’t blame her for that. She will have a lot of fun playing with Carlos.”
