NEW YORK (AP) — Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori weren't even sure they would get to defend their U.S. Open mixed doubles title. Organizers revamped the tournament because they wanted singles superstars, not doubles specialists.
They not only made it back to New York, they made it back to the top.
The Italians beat No. 3 seeds Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud 6-3, 5-7 (10-6) on Wednesday night, winning four matches over two days to earn $1 million— a huge raise over their earnings in New York last year in a format that looked nothing like this one.
Errani and Vavassori were among the many critics of the changes to the event that shut out every other traditional doubles pairing, but had nothing but smiles — and plenty of hugs — after building a quick lead in the match tiebreaker and holding on in front of a large crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I think it was important for us to play,” Vavassori said. “Like, I have to say the initiative was also important because it was really a statement that doubles can become something better. The stadium was packed. The people were enjoying it. If something doesn’t work — like, we showed today that it’s working. Like, the people were going crazy.”
It was a setting rarely enjoyed by doubles players and what U.S. Open organizers sought when they overhauled their tournament, moving it to well before singles play starts Sunday in hopes that tennis' best-known players would play.
Many of them did. But in the end, the event belonged to the doubles duo.
Eight teams in the 16-team field qualified by their players’ combined singles rankings, with the remaining teams given wild cards. Errani doubted the Italians were going to get one.
They eventually did and became the first repeat mixed doubles champions in Flushing Meadows since Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Murray in 2018-19. Both repeatedly said they were representing the many doubles players who never had the chance to come to New York with them this year.
“I think this one is also for them,” Errani said.
The event drew past U.S. Open singles champions Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka and Daniil Medvedev, all of whom lost on the first day. Even without them, almost all the seats were full for the three matches Wednesday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, with the roof closed after it rained most of the afternoon.
Ruud acknowledged that the U.S. Tennis Association took a bold risk with its changes, with critics saying it turned the championship, with shortened sets to 4 games in the first three rounds, into a glorified exhibition, rather than the two-week, 32-event of the past. But even players who specialize in doubles agreed that the event got way more attention than they are accustomed to.
“Any time you get a full crowd like this, how can we keep that going?” Christian Harrison said after he and Danielle Collins lost 4-2, 4-2 to Errani and Vavassori in the semis. “I mean, unreal night. I won’t forget this night.”
Swiatek and Ruud edged the top-seeded team of Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper 3-5, 5-3 (10-8) in the other semifinal, battling back from an 8-4 deficit in the match tiebreaker.
The No. 2-ranked Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, and Ruud, who has reached three major singles finals, then played well in the final.
But they couldn’t match the doubles prowess of the Italians, who won a second major title together at this year’s French Open. Vavassori, with his height and constant movement around the net, was a hard target to pass even for Swiatek and Ruud, two accurate ball strikers from the baseline.
“I think in doubles we showed it's very important know how to play doubles,” Errani said. “In doubles it's not just serving good, hitting good, returning good. There are many other things that are not easy.”
Errani is one of the most accomplished women’s doubles players ever, having won a career Grand Slam with former partner Roberta Vinci, along with the 2024 Olympic gold medal with Jasmine Paolini — who was in the crowd cheering after pulling out of this event after losing to Swiatek on Monday night in the Cincinnati final.
Swiatek opted to stay in and shared $400,000 with Ruud — double what Errani and Vavassori earned for winning last year.
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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Brian Mahoney, The Associated Press
