Alcaraz and Raducanu were highlighted by many onlookers as the stand-out pairing in the revised format, which has seen tennis’ biggest names team up for a $1 million prize at Flushing Meadows.
Draper and Pegula, however, were arguably the toughest proposition they could face.
Based off their singles rankings, the Brit and American were the top-seeded pair, and they proved to be a strong partnership as they backed up their first-round victory by beating Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva to reach the semi-finals later on Tuesday.
“I’ve got a pretty good partner,” Draper said on-court. “What an experience playing out here against Emma and Carlos. It doesn’t get any better than this, so just a pleasure to be out here playing with such a good player.”
Pegula’s extensive doubles experience could well be a decisive factor in her and Draper’s run in the tournament. She has won seven doubles titles during her career, regularly partnered with Coco Gauff.
“That was such a fun atmosphere,” she said. “I played doubles a lot, haven’t played that much recently, so it’s always kind of tricky, especially going into a mixed format. It was a lot of fun. Jack played great.”
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Draper led the top seeds to an early break. Alcaraz spurned a couple of first serves, and the British men’s No. 1 took full advantage with some driving ground-strokes. Draper was seeing a lot of the early action, and rattled off a straightforward service game to establish a 2-0 lead.
On Raducanu’s serve, she began to find some joy – taking their first hold as she became embroiled in some fierce backhand exchanges with Pegula, before Alcaraz cut home a pair of volleys into the tramlines beyond Draper’s reach.
Raducanu exhibited some excellent net play to keep her and Alcaraz in the first set – dispatching three consecutive points for an emphatic hold to love – but their early blip needed amending with a break of their own, and time was running out in the format, which requires just four games to win a set.
Growing into their new partnership, ‘Raducaraz’ looked to have found synergy as they took the sixth game to the no-advantage deuce, but an awkward ball landing between the pair saw Alcaraz send an uncharacteristic forehand long, and Draper and Pegula seized the set advantage.
After Raducanu applied pressure on Draper from the back of the court, Alcaraz provided the shot of the match by running onto a wide forehand and curling around the net posts – but his remarkable efforts could not build towards a break of serve as they traded holds for 1-1.
And the popular pair were staring a first-round exit in the face when Draper twice got the better of Alcaraz while Pegula forced Raducanu long to take an important break in the second set, and in position to serve for a 3-1 lead.
That they did. And down 15-40 in the fifth game, Alcaraz and Raducanu looked to have their exit sealed. But they provided the Arthur Ashe crowd with some great entertainment by saving three match points to prolong the affair.
Another valiant attempt at staying in the hunt for the $1m prize saw Alcaraz and Raducanu force another deuce in search of their first break, but with a neat forehand down the line to pounce on his compatriot’s slack drop shot, Draper sealed the match as the favourites went through.
Despite chasing the match from the off, Alcaraz and Raducanu were visibly enjoying the occasion, and their attentions will now turn to the singles draws beginning on Sunday – Raducanu at the site of her stunning break-out Grand Slam triumph in 2021.
Draper and Pegula made even lighter work of Medvedev and Andreeva later on Tuesday, taking three breaks while remaining imperious on serve to claim a 4-1 4-1 victory, and set up a Wednesday semi-final against Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud.
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