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Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz's US Open 2026 mixed doubles campaign came to an end on Tuesday (local time) as the star pairing suffered a 5-4(4), 4-1 quarterfinal defeat to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The American-Spanish combination, which had attracted significant attention ahead of the tournament, struggled to maintain the momentum from their opening-round victory as Bencic and Cobolli raised their level at crucial moments to secure a place in the semifinals, reported Reuters. Williams and Alcaraz made a number of early errors, allowing the Swiss-Italian duo to gain control of the opening set. Cobolli held his nerve during the tie-break before sealing the set with an ace. Bencic and Cobolli were even more clinical in the second set, committing no unforced errors as they completed a convincing victory and brought an end to Williams and Alcaraz's run. The defeat marked an emotional return to the US Open for Williams, who had not competed at the tournament since her farewell to professional tennis in 2022. The 44-year-old received a rousing reception from a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium as fans welcomed her back to the venue after a three-year absence. Earlier in the day, Williams and Alcaraz had begun their campaign with a 5-3, 4-1 victory over Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool. The pair quickly developed an entertaining on-court chemistry, with both players exchanging smiles and enjoying the occasion. Alcaraz was making his competitive return after being sidelined by injury since April. The Spaniard shook off some early rust and sealed their opening-round victory with a forehand winner before celebrating alongside Williams. The mixed doubles event is being played under the revamped format introduced at the US Open, bringing leading singles players into the competition ahead of the singles main draw. The format enjoyed strong commercial success in its debut year, though it has also faced criticism from established doubles specialists. Bencic and Cobolli will now face married couple Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils in the semifinals. Svitolina and Monfils reached the last four after edging Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten 5-4(6), 4-5(3), 10-8. Siniakova and Patten had earlier eliminated top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic. The other semifinal will feature Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev against Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik. Andreeva and Rublev advanced after defeating defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori as well as Diana Shnaider and Casper Ruud. For Williams and Alcaraz, the defeat ended a brief but memorable partnership, while Bencic and Cobolli moved one step closer to claiming the revamped US Open mixed doubles title. While Williams will not feature in the women's singles draw at the US Open, Alcaraz will now turn his focus to his highly anticipated title defence on the men's side. The Spaniard will learn his path to the coveted title when the draw is unveiled on Thursday. (ANI)
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