New York, Jul 22 (AP) - The upcoming US Open mixed doubles tournament is turning heads with its star-studded lineup, bringing together some exciting new pairings. Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles winner at 45, is teaming up with Reilly Opelka. Meanwhile, Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova partners with Holger Rune, all in an effort to compete in this novel contest scheduled for August.
The US Tennis Association has recently revealed that a total of 25 pairs have entered their names for this highly anticipated competition. However, only 16 will make the cut for the tournament set to take place on August 19-20, with a glorious USD 1 million up for grabs for the winners.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">25 teams have officially entered the reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Championship.<br><br>On July 28, the top 8 teams determined by combined singles ranking will be in the field via direct entry. The remaining 8 teams will be determined via wild card and announced at a later date. <a href="https://t.co/22YH2zt3m4">pic.twitter.com/22YH2zt3m4</a></p>— US Open Tennis (@usopen) <a href="https://twitter.com/usopen/status/1947357685373882667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
With the deadline for entries looming just a week away, only the top eight duos with the highest combined singles rankings will secure their spots in the draw. On the other hand, the USTA will be offering wild-card invitations to the remaining eight teams.
This mixed doubles event has been strategically moved to precede the onset of singles matches, which are slated to commence on August 24.
In addition to the newly announced pairings of Williams with Opelka and Anisimova with Rune, other notable duos include Katie Boulter and Alex De Minaur, who are preparing to wed; Donna Vekic and Hubert Hurkacz; Karolina Muchova and Andrey Rublev; Iva Jovic and Jenson Brooksby; Gaby Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime; Demi Schuurs and Tallon Griekspoor; Katerina Siniakova and Marcelo Arevalo; Desirae Krawczyk and Evan King; and Su-Wei Hsieh and Jan Zielinski.
The initial release of potential participants featured prominent athletes such as Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz; Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner; Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud; Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti; Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz; and reigning US Open mixed doubles champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, amongst others.
This fresh format diverges from the traditional composition of mixed doubles brackets at Grand Slam tournaments, usually dominated by specialized doubles players. The revamped structure has drawn some criticism since its February announcement, with current champions Errani and Vavassori dismissing it as a "pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show," potentially sidelining true doubles experts.
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