Updated

Updated · BBC.com · Aug 27

Mensik, Muchova Capture $1 Million US Open Mixed Title After Saving 2 Match Points

Updated

Updated · BBC.com · Aug 27

Mensik, Muchova Capture $1 Million US Open Mixed Title After Saving 2 Match Points

Q: Why did a million-dollar Grand Slam final featuring top tennis stars end up playing to a completely empty stadium?

It was mostly a scheduling and star-power problem, not a lack of interest in the concept itself. The revamped U.S. Open mixed doubles event drew strong crowds earlier because it was built around marquee singles names and quick, TV-friendly matches during Fan Week. But by the time the title match began Wednesday, many of those biggest attractions were already gone. Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz had been eliminated in the quarterfinals, while Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka lost in the opening round. That reduced the late-session pull for casual fans who had bought into the event for celebrity value as much as for the mixed doubles title. The bigger issue was timing. Both semifinals on Wednesday night went the distance and ran long, pushing the final back to nearly 11 p.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium and finishing close to midnight. That repeated a familiar U.S. Open problem: tennis matches have unpredictable lengths, but the tournament places them in a fixed prime-time window. When earlier matches stretch out, the last match suffers. Crowd retention drops sharply late at night, especially during Fan Week, when many spectators are not staying for a traditional main-draw-style marathon. So the empty stadium was really the tradeoff built into the USTA’s redesign. The format has succeeded commercially by attracting stars, attention and record interest, but it remains vulnerable when the headliners exit early and the championship is scheduled at the end of an already long night.

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Aug 27

A 131mph ace on a third championship point sealed Mensik and Muchova's 6-3, 1-6, 10-6 final win over Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
Two match points had already been erased in their semi-final, where the Czech pair beat Andrey Rublev and Mirra Andreeva 5-4 (8-6), 3-5, 11-9.
For both players it was a first Grand Slam title, achieved despite Mensik never having played mixed doubles before and Muchova returning after a small surgery.
The $1 million prize reflects the US Open's revamped mixed doubles format, which now runs under the lights before the singles main draw and leans heavily on singles stars.