Serena Williams to play mixed doubles in US Open
She is paired with Carlos Alcaraz.
FLUSHING, N.Y. —
Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz will compete in the 2026 US Open mixed doubles as a wild card entry, the U.S. Tennis Association announced Saturday.
The event will begin on Monday with an eight-team qualifying competition that includes Williams and Alcaraz.
The Main Draw first round and quarterfinals will be played on Tuesday in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Williams, a Jupiter resident, last played in the U.S. Open in 2022.
The 23-time Grand Slam and six-time US Open singles champion won the US Open mixed doubles title in 1998 with Max Mirnyi.
Williams won’t play singles in New York. The tournament announced Saturday that it gave the last spot to American Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, though USTA held out hope Williams would compete in singles.
Williams played singles at Wimbledon but sustained a knee injury in her first-round loss. She played doubles with older sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open earlier this week.
Alcaraz announced earlier this week he would return to defend his US Open singles title after being sidelined since April with a right wrist injury.
ESPN2 will present live coverage Tuesday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., followed by additional coverage on ESPN+ on the ESPN App from 3-5 p.m.
The USTA revamped mixed doubles to make it a two-day, 16-team event in hopes of drawing top singles players.
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