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Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the U.S. Open mixed doubles, which begins Aug. 19 in New York. The men’s world No. 1 in singles retired after five games of his Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz due to illness, and will recover before preparing for the U.S. Open singles.
Sinner was going to partner Kateřina Siniaková, probably the greatest active doubles player on earth, in a compelling alliance of the two tennis disciplines.
Siniaková, an 11-time Grand Slam doubles champion and a gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, never received a new partner. The official draw and order of play were updated Tuesday morning, but Sinner and Siniaková’s place was occupied by “Qualifier / Qualifier” as of 9:12 a.m., less than two hours before the start of the event.
Americans Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison then took the pair’s spot as first alternate, owing to their combined singles ranking.
Alcaraz traveled from Mason, Ohio to partner Emma Raducanu, while Iga Świątek, who won the WTA 1000 title with victory over Jasmine Paolini, also arrived on time to partner Norway’s Casper Ruud.
The new mixed doubles event, which will be played over two days and feature short sets, an array of singles stars and a $1 million prize, begins at 11 a.m. Aug. 19. The semifinals and finals will be played Aug. 20, starting at 7 p.m. The teams, prior to the confirmation of Sinner and Siniaková’s replacement, are as follows:
DIRECT ENTRIES
Jessica Pegula / Jack Draper
Iga Świątek / Casper Ruud
Elena Rybakina / Taylor Fritz
Amanda Anisimova / Holger Rune
Belinda Bencic / Alexander Zverev
Mirra Andreeva / Daniil Medvedev
Madison Keys / Frances Tiafoe
Karolina Muchová / Andrey Rublev
Danielle Collins / Christian Harrison
WILD CARDS
Emma Raducanu / Carlos Alcaraz
Olga Danilović / Novak Djokovic
Taylor Townsend / Ben Shelton
Sara Errani / Andrea Vavassori
Venus Williams / Reilly Opelka
Naomi Osaka / Gael Monfils
Caty McNally / Lorenzo Musetti
‘The U.S. Open has lost arguably its most interesting pair’
Analysis from Charlie Eccleshare, tennis writer
In Jannik Sinner and Kateřina Siniaková, the U.S. Open had unwittingly stumbled upon a fascinating mixed doubles pairing. How would the men’s world No. 1 in singles mesh with arguably the world’s greatest active doubles player, and holder of 11 Grand Slam titles across the women’s and mixed disciplines?
Sinner was originally paired with WTA singles world No. 11 Emma Navarro, but, having struggled for form of late, she pulled out of the event to play the Monterrey Open to try and get some matches in ahead of the U.S. Open.
Sinner’s withdrawal, and the end of his partnership with Siniaková before it had begun, is perhaps a fitting conclusion to his involvement in the competition. When Sinner was asked at Wimbledon about how his partnership with Navarro had come about, he could have tried to play it straight and trot out some line like: “Yeah, look, I’ve always admired Emma as a player and I really can’t wait to play the mixed doubles event with her in New York.”
Instead he started laughing and told the truth: “It was very unexpected, to be honest. I just met her yesterday for the first time. We never talked. We never texted to each other.” He explained that with other pairs partnered up, the U.S. Open had suggested her as one of a few options.
Fast forward nearly two months, and Sinner’s withdrawal is not a major surprise. Especially with tennis’ scheduling being such that the mixed doubles event begins less than 24 hours after the Cincinnati Open final.
Now the U.S. Open has been left to scramble for a replacement for Sinner, and has lost arguably its most interesting pair in the process. There was always likely to be a degree of chopping and changing, and some has happened already with other partnerships, but this will no doubt provide more fuel for those who are sceptical about the seriousness of this event.
(Photo of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz: Aaron Doster / Imagn via Getty Images)