The 2026 US Open mixed doubles tournament begins Tuesday, August 25, with $1 million on the line for the winning team and a field that includes some of tennis’s biggest names.
Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz will play together, while Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic enter as the No. 1 seeds. Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev, and two-time defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori are also among the teams with a realistic chance to win.
The mixed doubles tournament takes place over just two days, with the first round and quarterfinals on Tuesday, followed by the semifinals and championship match on Wednesday, August 26.
Here’s the schedule, the teams to watch, and a ranking of who has the best chance to leave New York with the $1 million prize.
2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Schedule & How to Watch
The first round begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET at Louis Armstrong Stadium and 11 a.m. ET at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
ESPN2 will televise Tuesday’s first-round and quarterfinal matches.
The four remaining teams return to Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday. The semifinals begin at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2, followed by the final at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. ESPN+ will also carry additional coverage.
Matches through the semifinals use shortened sets to four games with no-ad scoring. A tiebreak determines a set tied at 4-4, while a 10-point match tiebreak replaces the third set.
The final switches to sets played to six games, although no-ad scoring and the 10-point match tiebreak remain.
US Open Mixed Doubles Rankings: The 5 Teams With the Best Chance to Win
1. Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori
Errani and Vavassori get the top spot because they have already proven they can win this tournament — twice.
The Italian doubles specialists are going for their third consecutive US Open mixed doubles championship after defeating Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 in the 2025 final.
Their experience together could matter in a tournament where many of the biggest singles stars have limited experience playing with their partners.
Errani and Vavassori open against Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev.
2. Katerina Siniakova and Henry Patten
Siniakova and Patten may have one of the toughest opening assignments, but they also have the doubles credentials to win the entire tournament.
Siniakova owns 11 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, while Patten has won two major doubles championships. They had to qualify for the main draw and now face top-seeded Sabalenka and Djokovic.
3. Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz
Pegula and Fritz became partners after withdrawals changed the field, but they already have experience playing together at the United Cup.
Pegula reached the Cincinnati final, while Fritz won in Washington.
4. Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev
Townsend’s doubles résumé makes this one of the most dangerous teams in the field.
She is ranked No. 2 in doubles and has won three major doubles titles. Zverev brings one of the biggest serves in the men’s game and a No. 3 singles ranking.
They face fourth-seeded Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in the opening round.
5. Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic
Sabalenka and Djokovic are the No. 1 seeds based on their combined singles rankings, and their individual résumés make them impossible to overlook.
Sabalenka enters as the world’s No. 1 women’s singles player, while Djokovic owns 24 Grand Slam singles titles. Their challenge comes immediately against Siniakova and Patten, two players built for doubles.
Where Serena Williams & Carlos Alcaraz Rank Among the Contenders
Williams and Alcaraz are arguably the biggest attraction in the draw, but they come with more questions than some of the established doubles teams.
Williams, 44, recently returned to competitive tennis after a four-year absence. Her US Open appearance will be her first at Flushing Meadows since 2022. Alcaraz is also returning after a wrist injury kept him out of tournament competition since April.
They will face doubles specialists Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool, who advanced through qualifying.
Other teams capable of making a run include Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, Andreeva and Rublev, and Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils.
The shortened scoring also leaves less room for error. One bad stretch could end a team’s tournament quickly, making doubles experience particularly valuable.
US Open Mixed Doubles Schedule, Rankings & Who Can Actually Win the $1 Million Prize