Muchová and Menšík win US Open mixed doubles

Karolína Muchová and Jakub Menšík have won the US Open mixed doubles title, beating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6 (10-6) in the final

Karolína Muchová and Jakub Menšík have won the US Open mixed doubles title, beating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6 (10-6) in the final. The Czech duo took home $1m in prize money, capping an event that was dominated by singles players instead of doubles specialists.

Tournament format

The mixed doubles competition has drawn criticism since its format was reimagined last year, with some questioning whether the new event should even be categorized as a grand slam title. According to the Guardian, the revamp moved the tournament a week before the start of singles play and raised the winners' prize from $200,000 to $1m, but cut the field to 16 and drew outcry from doubles specialists kept out of the draw. Tournament organizers responded this year, adjusting the format to include an eight-team qualifying draw that allowed more specialists to enter, which can be seen in the fixtures for the tournament.

Semi-finals

The semi-finals were competitive, with Muchová and Menšík beating Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev 5-4 (8-6) 3-5 (11-9), and Bencic and Cobolli beating Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils 4-5 (7-9) 4-1 (10-5). The matches were closely contested, with the Czech duo winning the first set in an 8-6 tiebreak, and the second set going to a tiebreak as well. The stats for the semi-finals show just how closely matched the teams were.

Final

The final was a thrilling match, with Muchová and Menšík taking the first set 6-3, but Bencic and Cobolli fighting back to win the second set 6-1. The match went to a tiebreak, which the Czech duo won 10-6, securing the title. As Menšík said, the experience of playing mixed doubles has given him a boost of confidence, which will be useful as he seeks to advance past the third round in the singles draw, with the standings showing his current position.

Muchová, the world No 6, has reached two major finals and the semi-finals in New York, and will be looking to make a deep run in the singles tournament, which begins on Sunday, and fans can check the injuries page to see if any players are struggling with injuries that may affect their performance. The squad for the tournament is also available, showing the teams and players that competed in the mixed doubles event.

The crowd had significantly thinned by the time the duo lifted their trophy, but the earlier turnout seemed proof the US Open has made itself a three-week event. Ashe was mostly full for Wednesday's semi-finals, and the stadium was packed a night earlier for a pair of exhibition matches honoring Roger Federer. As Muchová said, the focus for the Czech duo remains on the singles draw, but the experience of playing mixed doubles has been a welcome prelude to the rest of the tournament.

Source: The Guardian