Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz began their headline making US Open mixed doubles partnership with a convincing first round victory, defeating Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, as reported by USA Today and Yahoo Sports. The 58 minute win sent the star pairing into the quarterfinals.
The match marked Williams’ competitive return to the US Open four years after her last appearance at Flushing Meadows and came as Alcaraz returned to competitive action following a wrist injury that had sidelined him since April. The packed Arthur Ashe crowd gave Williams a huge reception as she stepped back onto the court where she had previously played her final US Open match.
The pair initially struggled to settle, with Alcaraz dropping his opening service game and falling behind 1-3. They quickly found their rhythm, however, with Williams’ aggressive returns and shot making complementing Alcaraz’s power and movement as they won the next four games to close out the opening set.
Their run was ultimately short lived. Later that day, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli defeated Williams and Alcaraz 5-4(4), 4-1 in the quarterfinals, ending the highly anticipated partnership’s campaign.
