Taylor Townsend initially planned to reunite with Ben Shelton at the US Open. Instead, she will partner Alexander Zverev—and face the woman who played beside the German star in last year’s tournament.
Townsend and Zverev received a wild card into the 2026 US Open mixed doubles championship and will face No. 4 seeds Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in the first round Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Their specific court and start time had not been announced as of Sunday. Play begins at 10 a.m. ET in Louis Armstrong Stadium and 11 a.m. inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
ESPN2 and ESPN+ will carry mixed doubles coverage from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additional matches will stream exclusively on ESPN+ from 3 to 5 p.m.
The winners will return later Tuesday to face Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz or one of the teams advancing from Monday’s qualifying tournament.
How Townsend and Zverev Became Partners for US Open
Getty Taylor Townsend of the United States plays a forehand during their match against Camila Osorio of Colombia during day three of the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 13, 2026 in Mason, Ohio.
Zverev was not Townsend’s original choice.
The American planned to play with Shelton, her partner in the 2025 US Open mixed doubles tournament. Zverev, however, made his interest in teaming with the doubles star known.
“Originally, I kind of iced him because I was planning on playing with Ben,” Townsend said during the Canadian Open.
Zverev reportedly checked with Shelton about his plans before pursuing the partnership. When Shelton did not enter this year’s mixed doubles field, the path opened for Townsend to accept.
It gives Zverev one of the most accomplished doubles players in the tournament. Townsend has won women’s doubles championships at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and French Open, leaving the US Open as the only major she needs to complete a career Grand Slam.
She also reached the 2024 US Open mixed doubles final with Donald Young, losing to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
Zverev competed with Bencic in last year’s revamped event, adding a layer of familiarity to Tuesday’s matchup.
Bencic and Cobolli Bring a Winning Formula
GettyItaly’s Jasmine Paolini (R) celebrates her victory against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic with Flavio Cobolli during their women’s singles match at the United Cup tennis tournament on Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney on December 29, 2024.
Bencic and Cobolli do not need to guess whether their partnership works.
They won the mixed doubles title at Indian Wells in March, beating top seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Lloyd Glasspool 6-3, 2-6, 10-7 in the final. They also eliminated two-time US Open champions Errani and Vavassori in straight sets during their run.
That established chemistry may be their greatest advantage against a first-time team.
Bencic takes the ball early and redirects pace cleanly, while Cobolli supplies movement, athleticism and heavy baseline power. They proved at Indian Wells that they can handle conventional doubles teams as well as pairings built around singles stars.
Townsend is the tactical centerpiece for the wild cards. Her left-handed serve, quick hands and instinctive net movement can make Zverev’s power even more dangerous. If she controls positioning, Zverev can focus on using his serve and backhand to create short balls.
Bencic and Cobolli should test Zverev’s movement at the net and avoid prolonged exchanges with Townsend inside the service line. Townsend and Zverev, meanwhile, will want to attack Bencic’s serve and keep Cobolli from dictating with his forehand.
Matches through the semifinals feature sets played to four games, no-ad scoring and a 10-point match tiebreak instead of a third set. That leaves almost no recovery time for a new partnership.
Townsend and Zverev possess the higher ceiling. Bencic and Cobolli enter with something more tangible: proof they already know how to win together.
Alexander Zverev, Taylor Townsend Draw His Former Partner in US Open Showdown